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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday sent his condolences to the Greek people after the forest fires that killed 79 people and decimated beachside communities near Athens.
"Israel is mourning the Greek people for the loss of life. I send my heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, "tweeted the Prime Minister.
The message on social media came one day after Netanyahu spoke to his Greek counterpart, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, to convey his condolences.
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The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday it has offered to help Greece extinguish the flames.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading a meeting of the Likud faction in the Knesset on July 16, 2018. (Miriam Alster / Flash90)
"After the terrible fires in Greece, the Israeli authorities have contacted their counterparts in Greece to offer all the necessary badistance," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "At this point, the Greek authorities claim to have taken control of the fires. In any case, we put the teams on alert. Israel is at Greece's disposal if it becomes necessary. The Greek authorities thanked Israel for this offer. "
Greece has asked for international aid through the European Union, fires on both sides of Athens having left traces of burnt cars, charred farms. and forests, and sent hundreds of people to the beaches to be evacuated by warships, yachts and fishing boats.
The authorities said that Cyprus and Spain had offered their badistance after the request for help from the EU.
Greek firefighter spokeswoman Stavroula Malliri said on Wednesday that teams were going from house to house to search for burnt cars and burnt the coast to locate other victims.
Burnt cars are scattered along the road to Mati, east of Athens, July 24, 2018 (AP Photo / Thanbadis Stavrakis)
Malliri said the authorities had received dozens of appeals for missing persons, adding that some of the missing persons may be among the victims or may have already returned to their families without the authorities having been killed. informed.
In 2016, Greece and Cyprus were one of the first two countries to react when Israel asked its allies to send firefighting planes as well as equipment and personnel so to fight fires that have burned thousands of acres and damaged hundreds of homes in the north country.
As a result of these fires, Israel said it would form a regional emergency response force with Greece and Cyprus to fight future fires.
Greece also sent firefighting planes to Israel in 2010, when the Haifa region was ravaged by a forest fire that spread through the Carmel forest, killing 44 people. The fire, the most deadly natural disaster in Israel's history, has led to extensive reforms of the fire service.
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