Israel Sends Firefighting Team, Equipment To Greece As Thousands Flee Blazes

Israel dispatched a team of firefighters on Friday to Athens as thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece, including a major blaze just north of the Greek capital that left one person dead.

The Israeli team, consisting of 16 firefighters, is also shipping “a large amount of fire retardant material,” the fire service said in a statement.

“Israel is coming to assist Greece out of friendship and mutual aid,” said Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. “The entire region is dealing with the challenges of climate change and the fires threaten lives and property.

“I thank the firefighters who are going in the name of the State of Israel to assist our Greek friends,” he said.

Fires have ravaged Greece and neighboring Turkey in recent days as a protracted heatwave turned forests into tinderboxes and flames threatened populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites.

Turkey’s wildfires, described as the worst in decades, have swept through swaths of the southern coast for the past 10 days, killing eight people.