Skip to main content

Fires ravage Syria’s coastline, foreign aid rushed in

1 min Antoine Khoury

Syrian authorities have officially appealed to the European Union for assistance in battling raging wildfires that have devastated parts of the coastal province of Latakia for six consecutive days. 

Despite the scale of destruction, no casualties have been reported so far © X

Despite the scale of destruction, no casualties have been reported so far © X

Syrian authorities have officially appealed to the European Union for assistance in battling raging wildfires that have devastated parts of the coastal province of Latakia for six consecutive days. 

The fires have already consumed approximately 100 square kilometers of forested land, according to the United Nations.

“We have asked the EU for help to fight the fires,” said Syria’s Minister of Emergency Situations and Disasters, Raed al-Saleh, as quoted by state media. He added that firefighting aircraft from Cyprus are expected to arrive on Tuesday to help contain the blazes.

Firefighting teams from Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon have already joined Syrian crews on the ground. 

These teams are struggling with extremely difficult conditions, including scorching temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountain terrain, and the presence of landmines left behind after years of conflict. Minister Saleh emphasized that "weather conditions are significantly contributing to the spread of the fires."

Despite the scale of destruction, no casualties have been reported so far.

Nearly seven months after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria remains deeply scarred by over a decade of war that has crippled its economy and infrastructure.

Antoine Khoury

Antoine Khoury

Antoine Khoury is based in Beirut and has been reporting for Mena Today for the past year. He covers news from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey, and is widely regarded as one of the region’s leading experts

Related

Kuwait

Kuwait freezes assets of Hezbollah financial arm and associates

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday the imposition of sanctions against the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association (AQAH)—widely considered the financial arm of Hezbollah in Lebanon—as part of its efforts to combat terrorism financing, according to Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.