Jerusalem, 19 July, 2023 (TPS) -- The Greek Government has requested that Israel dispatch firefighting aircraft and teams to the country after huge wildfires broke out there over the past 24 hours and Israeli authorities agreed to do so.
Following consultations with the National Security Minister, the Defense Minister and the Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to send two firefighting aircraft from the Elad Squadron for the task.
The aircraft are expected to leave at 6 AM Israel time Thursday morning.
The Government issued a statement saying that it will stand by Greece as it fights the huge wildfires and appreciates Greece’s contribution to extinguishing wildfires in Israel over the past decade.
The two nations, together with Cyprus, have recently created a tripartite relationship with increasing cooperation in all manner of fields including defense and national emergencies.
Israel is known for its professionalism when it comes to dealing with such disasters.
The IDF has a special unit dedicated to search and rescue operation in just these situations and has sent the unit all over the world to assist different nations when they were in need.
Most recently, IDF teams went to Turkey to help with search and rescue missions there after an earthquake.