Syria seeks European help as forest wildfires rage
The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought.
Neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Turkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response.
'We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,' minister Raed Al-Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday.
'Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,' he added.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted 'some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities.'
An estimated 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland — more than three percent of Syria's forest cover — have burned, OCHA told AFP.
At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.
Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by 'rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance,' Saleh said.
Seven months after the fall of longtime ruler Bashar Assad, Syria continues to face the repercussions of its 14-year civil war, which include explosive remnants scattered across the country.
With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.
In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria had 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.'
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Arab News
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Syrian, Israeli officials meet in Baku: Diplomatic source in Damascus
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Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
US envoy Tom Barrack clarifies Syria comments, denies they were threat to Lebanon
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Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese Parties Warn Against Hezbollah Keeping Light Weapons
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'Does anyone really have an alternative to engaging with this proposal?' he asked. Deputy head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Naji Hayek, said all weapons must be handed over, rejecting the idea that civilians or political groups should be allowed to keep light arms for self-defense. 'This theory no longer holds,' Hayek told Asharq al-Awsat, adding that training camps used to militarize society should be shut down. 'Light and medium weapons are not only with Hezbollah - they exist with other parties that have military structures, and these too must be dismantled.' Political analyst Qassem Qassir, who is close to Hezbollah's thinking, said there is no internal consensus, nor any agreement with Hezbollah, to give up its heavy and medium arms while retaining light weapons. 'The party insists the issue is still the Israeli occupation and ongoing aggression,' he said. 'For Hezbollah, no discussion on disarmament is possible until those threats end.' Qassir warned that if a political solution to the weapons issue is not reached, 'we will inevitably face military risks and internal conflict.' Jumblatt announced in late June that his party had handed over its remaining weapons, including light and medium arms that were gradually accumulated after the May 7 clashes in 2008 during a period of heightened tension with Hezbollah. He said the weapons had been centrally stored and fully turned over to the Lebanese state.
