A joint Israeli Air Force and Fire and Rescue Services delegation has been sent to fight the huge forest fire in Cyprus, the IDF confirmed on Sunday.
The delegation will include a number of Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircrafts, as well as two firefighting Air Tractor aircrafts of the Elad Aerial rescue unit.
The fire, raging north of the cities of Limassol and Larnaca, is forcing the evacuation of some nearby villages. Fanned by strong winds, it affected at least six communities in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range.
Dozens of properties were damaged, but no injuries were reported and there were widespread power cuts in the area.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides on Saturday and said that Israel would do everything it could to help Cyprus bring the fire under control, Jerusalem Post reported.
