July 20, 2017

Israel sent two firefighting aircraft and two IAF cargo planes to Montenegro today, as part of the international effort helping the Balkan country extinguish raging wildfires, said a spokesman for Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority.

NATO allies and partners answered a call from Montenegro to help it deal with forest fires in the Lustica peninsula. Israel, Ukraine, Switzerland and Bulgaria sent firefighting planes and helicopters as assistance.

Fires have raged along the Adriatic coast since Sunday. Hundreds of firefighters in France, Croatia, Italy, Portugal and Montenegro have been battling strong winds in trying to contain the wildfires.

In Montenegro, the wildfires burned close to fishing villages and tourist resorts at Lustica peninsula and forced at least 100 people to evacuate the area, according to a NATO statement.

In November 2016, Israel sent out a call for international help in battling its own wildfires. Teams from Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Croatia, Italy and Russia answered the call.

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