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‘Operation Wings of Fire’: Israeli aid mission departs for Cyprus amid raging wildfires

Israeli crews and firefighting aircraft will assist in extinguishing the huge fires that are raging in Cyprus due to the extreme weather.

By World Israel News Staff

An aid mission to the Republic of Cyprus, dubbed Operation Wings of Fire, left Monday afternoon, on instruction from the prime minister and with the approval of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen, an Israeli government press release said..

Crews and firefighting aircraft, led by the National Security Ministry under the command of the Israel Police Air Division and in cooperation with the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority and the IDF, left for Limassol, the second-largest city in Cyprus, in order to help extinguish the huge huge wildfires in Limassol.

This is pursuant to a personal request by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for emergency assistance, based on the strong bilateral partnership between the two countries.

The crews and equipment were transported by the IDF Shimshon aircraft in the framework of the firefighting operation. The aircraft will assist in extinguishing the huge wildfires that are raging in Cyprus due to the extreme weather, which includes a heat wave, strong winds and high temperatures.

The mission, under the command of Snir Shafir, includes two ‘Air-Tractor’ firefighting aircraft, a crew of four pilots, a trained ground crew, wildfire experts, and equipment including approximately six tons of Israel Fire and Rescue Service flame retardants.

Approximately two weeks ago, a mission returned from Operation Firebirds, in which Israel assisted Greece in extinguishing huge wildfires in several regions, not for the first time.

The rapid deployment of the Israeli mission to Cyprus was made possible by the cooperation of all agencies taking part in the assistance operation: The National Security Council in the Prime Minister’s Office, the National Security Ministry, the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority, the Israel Police Air Division – which operates the Elbit firefighting aircraft, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Population and Immigration Authority, the National Emergency Management Authority, the Defense Ministry, Israeli Ambassador to Cyprus Oren Anolik and the Israeli Embassy in Cyprus.