Iraq to send 20 firefighting teams to battle Syria's wildfire

11/7/2025 6:48

Iraq's Civil Defense Directorate said Thursday that it is preparing to send 20 firefighting teams to neighboring Syria to help put out wildfires raging across Syria's northwestern province of Latakia.

Nawas Sabah, director of the Civil Defense Directorate's media office, told the official Iraqi News Agency that the 20 firefighting teams are expected to depart for Syria within the next few hours.

Some 1,900 Syrian families have been directly affected, with thousands more at risk, as wildfires continue to ravage Syria's northwestern province of Latakia for an eighth consecutive day, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday.

The wildfires have caused substantial displacement of people and a rise in humanitarian demands, especially for shelter, water, and other essential services.