Israeli PM thanks Egypt's Sisi for help fighting fires

TEL AVIV

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for his country's assistance in fighting a spate of wildfires that broke out Thursday in several parts of Israel.

“I thank my friend, President al-Sisi, for sending two helicopters to help fight the fires,” read a Friday statement released by Netanyahu's office.

The statement also noted that the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority had also taken part in the firefighting efforts.

The Egyptian authorities, for their part, have yet to comment on Netanyahu's statement.

According to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Egypt sent two military aircraft on Friday to help extinguish the blazes.

Four European countries -- Croatia, Italy, Cyprus and Greece -- also reportedly dispatched aircraft to Israel to help fight the fires.

On Thursday, dozens of wildfires broke out across Israel due to unusually high temperatures, destroying dozens of homes and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people.

According to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation, Netanyahu instructed the foreign and homeland security ministries to request international assistance in putting out the fires.