Over the past few days, firefighting teams were dispatched over the affected areas in the Republic of Cyprus with the aim of locating and extinguishing active fire points before they developed into large-scale forest fires. During this time, ground operations were conducted by the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority in collaboration with local firefighting forces.

The Cypriot authorities expressed gratitude for the Israeli assistance. Following the operation's objectives, a ceremony was held in honor of the Israeli delegation, attended by Israel's Ambassador to Cyprus, Oren Anolik, Cyprus's Minister of Justice and Public Order, Anna Koukides-Procopiou, Cyprus's Minister of Agriculture, Petros Ksenofontos, Cyprus's Minister of Defense, Michalis Georgallas, Chief of the National Guard, Dimokritos Zervakis, Chief of the Fire Department, Commander of the Air Force, and Director of Civil Defense in Cyprus.

The teams were flown back by the Israeli Air Force's "Karnaf" aircraft, and the firefighting planes recently landed in Israel (Wednesday, August 9, 2023).

As part of the delegation's efforts to mitigate the spread of fires in Cyprus and the good relations between the two countries, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir met yesterday (Tuesday) with Cyprus's Minister of Justice and Public Order at the Coordination and Control Center

Cyprus's Minister of Justice and Public Order, Anna Koukides-Procopiou, stated, "I wish to express the deep gratitude of the Republic of Cyprus to the State of Israel for its cooperation and assistance. Minister Ben Gvir's visit to the coordination center provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions on cooperation between the two countries in the field of firefighting and emergency situations, as well as other matters related to national security, such as counterterrorism, which concern both countries. We look forward to establishing even more beneficial mutual relations in the near future."

The Israeli assistance mission was sent to Cyprus in response to a request from Cyprus's President, Nikos Christodoulides, to Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for immediate assistance in extinguishing the massive fires that had broken out in Limassol due to extreme weather conditions including heatwaves, strong winds, and high temperatures. The delegation, under the command of Snir Shafir, included two "Air-Tractor" firefighting planes, a team of four pilots, skilled ground crews, forest firefighting specialists, and supporting equipment including around 6 tons of fire retardant from Israel Fire and Rescue Authority.

The joint assistance efforts involve the National Security Council in the Prime Minister's Office, Israel's National Security Ministry, Israel Police's Air Division operated by the Elbit Systems' "Elad" Squadron, Fire and Rescue Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Population and Immigration Authority, Civil Aviation Authority, IDF, Ministry of Defense, Israel's Ambassador to Cyprus Oren Anolik, and Israel's Embassy in Cyprus.

​Huge wildfires broke out in Greece last month, at which point the Greek Government has requested that Israel dispatch firefighting aircraft.

Following consultations with the National Security Minister, the Defense Minister and the Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to send two firefighting aircraft from the Elad Squadron to assist Greece for as much time as necessary.​

Huge wildfires have broken out in Greece last month, at which point he Greek Government requested that Israel dispatch firefighting aircraft.