DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities said some 100 square kilometres of forest had "turned to ash" in wildfires as firefighters from neighbouring Jordan arrived on Sunday to battle a fourth day of blazes in the province of Latakia. Syrian emergency workers have faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain in the coastal province and the danger of explosive war remnants, in a country scarred by years of conflict.
Jordanian civil defence teams crossed into Syria on Sunday morning, the Syrian ministry for emergency and disaster management said, as state media published footage of the convoy. Minister Raed al Saleh said on X that "hundreds of thousands of forest trees over an estimated area of around 10,000 hectares in 28 locations have turned to ash".
The United Nations deputy envoy to Syria Najat Rochdi said in a statement on Sunday on X that Damascus "needs more international assistance" to face the fires. A statement from the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula said that "UN teams are on the ground conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs". — AFP
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