Cyprus helps fight Israel fires

Two planes flew to Israel on Friday to join fire fighters who are battling numerous raging fires in a declared emergency.

According to local media, two fire-fighting airplanes from the Forestry Department flew to Israel to help battle wildfires in the country. 

Israeli firefighters were overwhelmed all day Thursday trying to contain a number of heat wave related wildfires that broke out in forests near huilt-up areas, as well as other communities in wooded areas west of Jerusalem. According to local media in that country, authorities called up all firefighters in the central region in light of the large number of blazes in the area.

Israel asked Cyprus on Thursday evening to send two fire-fighting planes to the country to help extinguish the fires raging across the country, amid a heat wave.

Italy, Greece, and Croatia said they would pitch in after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put out an urgent plea for international help in battling the blazes.

Last year, Israel and Cyprus agreed to develop further their cooperation in water management and firefighting, two areas in which both countries face similar challenges.