Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday sent a letter of thanks to President Nicos Anastasiades and the people of Cyprus for the assistance provided in battling the recent fires.
The blazes began near Jerusalem and, backed by dry, windy weather, spread elsewhere around the country over five days. By November 27, all major fires had been extinguished.
Haifa was the hardest-hit city, where major blazes forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. Though no deaths were reported, dozens were hospitalised for smoke inhalation and hundreds of homes were damaged.
Initial investigations point to the majority of the fires being caused by arson.
With a team of 28 Fire Service firemen, 24 rescuers from the Civil Defence and 17 Forestry Department fire-fighters, Cyprus was one of the countries that sent Israel fire-fighting support.
In his letter, Netanyahu says:
“Please accept my deepest appreciation, and that of the people of Israel, for your help during last week’s wildfires that raged across Israel.
Your immediate willingness to assist us during our time of need is testament to your leadership and to the strong bonds of friendship between our two countries. Your assistance was highly valued in our effort to extinguish the fires and contain the damage they caused.
Kindly convey our heartfelt gratitude to the Cypriot team that stood shoulder to shoulder with our fire-fighters in battling the flames.”