Israeli Teens Narrowly Escape Death on Collapsing Coastal Cliff

Emergency teams rescued three teenage girls last night (Wednesday) after they ventured past safety barriers onto a crumbling coastal cliff in Netanya, Israel, prompting fresh warnings about the region's increasingly unstable shoreline.

The 13-year-olds called for help after feeling the ground begin to give way beneath them on the 35-meter (115-foot) cliff face. Fire and rescue services, alongside Netanya Municipality beach teams, responded to their emergency call and successfully extracted all three girls unharmed.

"This could have ended in tragedy," said Ilan Lavi, CEO of the Mediterranean Coastal Cliffs Protection Government Company. "We've seen several major cliff collapses along the Herzliya beaches in recent weeks alone, and it's pure luck no one has been killed."

The incident occurred despite clear warning signs and safety fencing installed to prevent public access to the dangerous cliff area. It comes as Israeli authorities grapple with accelerating coastal erosion. The Knesset, Israel's parliament, held emergency discussions this week about securing funding for urgent cliff stabilization projects along the Mediterranean coast.

"These incidents underscore the critical need for both physical cliff reinforcement and increased public awareness," Lavi said. "A fall from these heights means certain death. We need immediate action to stabilize these cliffs both from the land and sea sides."

The rescue has intensified calls for additional funding to address what officials describe as a growing public safety crisis along Israel's coastal cliffs.

Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.