(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)
Under the direction of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid and Minister of Public Security Omer Bar-Lev, two firefighting planes and a cargo plane loaded with firefighting equipment will depart from Israel to Cyprus this morning (Thursday, June 23, 2022) to help Cypriot firefighters cope with the fires raging in the north of the island.
The decision to send the planes was made following a request from the Cypriot government. The arrival of the Israeli fire brigade in Cyprus and the coordination of their activities with the local fire brigades is being directed by the Israeli Embassy in Nicosia, headed by Ambassador Oren Anolik, in cooperation with the National Security Council and the Israel Fire and Rescue Services.
Israel, Cyprus and Greece are signatories to a cooperation agreement in dealing with natural disasters, which is an important aspect of the tripartite cooperation agreement between Israel, Cyprus and Greece. Last year, Cyprus offered assistance to Israel in dealing with the fires that raged in the Jerusalem mountains.