Lebanon sends two helicopters to assist in fighting Syria wildfires

BEIRUT — The Lebanese Army dispatched two firefighting helicopters to Syria on Monday to assist in combating the wildfires raging there now for the fourth consecutive day. The helicopters took off from Qleiaat airport in Akkar, northern Lebanon, heading toward Syria's Latakia province, where flames have ripped through thousands of hectares of forest.

Turkey and Jordan, in previous days, sent reinforcements of their own. Syrian Minister of Emergency Situations and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh praised Lebanon's initiative in a post on X, expressing his "sincere thanks" to Lebanon and stating that it was conducted in coordination with the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Alluding to renewed relations following the fall of the Assad regime, Saleh said Lebanon's assistance "embodies the depth of fraternal ties between Syria and Lebanon and reflects the importance of solidarity in the face of natural and environmental disasters."

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Hundreds of thousands of trees, spread across around 10,000 hectares in 28 different areas have gone up in smoke, Saleh announced. Firefighting teams face particularly difficult conditions: high temperatures, strong winds, steep mountainous terrain, and the presence of unexploded missiles, landmines and grenades in a country scarred by years of conflict.

An AFP correspondent in the Rabiaa region of Latakia reported emergency workers battling a fire near homes while vast stretches of forests and olive groves were ravaged by flames, and thick smoke extended far and wide.

About 80 teams have been mobilized, Saleh noted. Turkey sent two planes and eight fire trucks on Saturday to fight the forest fires that have lasted for four days in the region. Jordan sent firefighting teams on Sunday to assist their Syrian counterparts. The U.N. also announced that it had mobilized teams to assess the most urgent needs on the ground.

The forest fires ravaging the coastal province of Latakia add to the fires and blazes occurring in the region, in Greece, in Turkey and in Lebanon. In a message on X, U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi warned that Syria "needs more international aid."