Wildfire (illustrative)
Wildfire (illustrative)Fire & Rescue Services

Israel is sending a 16-man delegation of fire fighters to Greece, to help battle the wildfires that have been raging in the country over the past few days, in the wake of extremely hot weather, with temperatures surging as high as 45 degrees Celsius.

The delegation is leaving on Friday, following a request for assistance from the Greek government, and is being coordinated by the Israeli embassy in the Greek capital of Athens, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Internal Security, the Fire Fighters Organization, and the National Security Agency.

Israel approved the request following a meeting between Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) and his Greek and Greek-Cypriot counterparts.

A statement issued on behalf of Foreign Minister Lapid noted that, "Israel is coming to the aid of Greece due to our mutual sense of responsibility and amicable relations. The entire region is grappling with climate change challenges, and wildfires are threatening human lives and property."

"I thank our fire fighters who represent the State of Israel and are now coming to the aid of our Greek friends."