On the same night that parts of Israel were engulfed in one of the worst wildfire disasters in its history, Israeli fighter jets were conducting airstrikes in Syria. As planes from multiple countries arrived to help extinguish the flames threatening Israeli communities, the Israeli military chose to deploy its own aircraft not to support emergency response efforts at home, but to bomb targets near Damascus.

This simultaneous disaster and escalation highlight the warped priorities of a state that has normalized conflict abroad even amid domestic crisis. With entire towns threatened by fire and foreign nations offering assistance, the decision to carry out yet another bombing campaign in Syria reveals a disturbing level of detachment from the suffering on multiple fronts.

Meanwhile, Gaza continues to face one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the modern era, under relentless bombardment and siege. No international firefighting support is offered to Palestinians. No global outpouring of equipment or personnel. Only silence, rubble, and starvation.

In one moment, Israel is a state in need, grateful for European firefighting aircraft, receiving support from Greece, Cyprus, France, and others. In the same moment, it is a regional aggressor, launching attacks beyond its borders while denying basic aid and fuel to 2 million people living under blockade.

Israel cannot bomb Damascus and burn Gaza while expecting the world to send water. It cannot be a victim, an aggressor, and a warden at the same time without being called what it is: a regime of apartheid and militarism that depends on impunity.

The flames in Israel may be smothered with foreign help. But the flames Israel sets, in Syria, in Gaza, burn on, fueled by a system that rewards destruction and shields power from consequence.