The preparation of the forces for the Olive Branch IDF delegation (IDF Spokesman)
The Israeli rescue mission "Olive Branches" will leave this evening (Monday) for Turkey, where in the last day the two worst earthquakes the country has known since 1999 have occurred. The mission, led by the Home Front Command, will take off in Air Force planes from Nabatim base, and upon landing will immediately begin the rescue, when it will operate in cooperation Working with Turkish teams and other delegations from around the world.
In the meantime, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Ran Kochav referred to aid to Syria, where the earthquake also caused great destruction, and said: "We did not receive an instruction to help the Syrians. The delegation is an IDF delegation.
" Rafi Milo, is an immediate assistance in the rescue efforts in order to save lives, through rapid mapping of the destruction sites.
Preparation of the "Olive Branches" aid mission, today (photo: IDF spokesperson)
The delegation is headed by the commander of the National Rescue and Rescue Unit, Lt. Col. Golan Vach, and includes approximately 150 reserve and regular officers.
In addition, fire and rescue forces will join her.
"This is the 31st expedition in the last 40 years," Wach noted.
"We feel a great privilege to lend a hand. We will make every effort to save lives and help the Turkish people."
According to him, the delegation will land at the airport in the city of Adana, in southern Turkey.
"We rely on the engineering assessments of the situation and the restrictions we receive from the Turkish government, which directs rescue forces according to weather and the ability to land there from an engineering point of view," he explained.
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Preparation of the "Olive Branches" aid mission, today (photo: IDF spokesperson)
"This is a heavy delegation. It is divided into one-third headquarters and intelligence, and two-thirds rescue, medical and engineering forces. In other words, most of the force is invested in the operational aspect. The IDF is prepared to issue additional medical degrees if requested."
He also noted that "in terms of intelligence sources, the delegation will receive Information from visible sources, such as information from Turkish citizens, social networks and government networks.
You will also receive information from sources such as the UN aid agencies and the emergency agencies from Turkey."
Preparation of the "Olive Branches" aid mission, today (photo: IDF spokesperson)
Preparation of the "Olive Branches" aid mission, today (photo: IDF spokesperson)
In the earthquakes that shook Turkey and Syria today, around 2,400 people have been killed so far.
The number of dead in Turkey reaches about 1,500, along with thousands more injured and many trapped under the ruins.
In neighboring Syria, more than 900 people died and thousands were injured.
Spanning several fault lines, Turkey is one of the most seismologically active regions in the world.
In 2011, more than 500 people were killed in an earthquake in the city of Van in the east of the country.
In the city of Diyarbakir, the aid teams rescued a seven-year-old girl alive from the ruins after about seven hours.
"The earthquake hit the area we were afraid of," the head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik, told local media.
He called on citizens to donate blood.
Many residents went out in their night clothes into the frozen streets, large parts of which were turned into ruins.
The noise that occurred tonight in Turkey was slightly stronger than the one in 1999 - 7.8 compared to 7.6 - and according to some experts, as powerful as the strongest noise ever measured in the country, in 1939.
It was felt in the countries of the Middle East, including Israel, and even in Greenland.
In the afternoon, the country was already hit by another strong earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan compared today's disaster to that of 1939, when about 30,000 people died in the southeast of the country.
He said he could not estimate the final number of victims, as the search and rescue efforts were ongoing.
The disaster struck while Turkey and the countries of the region are in the middle of winter.
"Everyone is giving their heart and soul in their efforts, although the winter, the cold weather and the earthquake that occurred during the night make everything more difficult," Erdogan said at a press conference.
According to him, Ankara has received offers of aid from dozens of countries.
Large parts of the streets have turned into ruins.
The earthquake in Turkey, February 6, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
"Northwest Syria is a disaster area."
Teams search for survivors in Latakia (Photo: Reuters)
In Syria, President Bashar Assad convened an emergency meeting in the morning.
The victims also include the Prime Minister's sister, Hossein Aranos, and several of her children and grandchildren who were killed in Hamat.
Many buildings in Syria suffer a lot of damage from the civil war that has been going on in the country for almost 12 years, and they cannot withstand the force of significant earthquakes.
The head of health services in Aleppo, Ziad Haga Taha, said that "all public and private hospitals are on high alert. The wounded are still arriving in waves."
Ismail al-Abdallah, one of the members of the "White Helmets" rescue organization operating in the opposition territories, told the BBC network that "We need help, we need the international community to do something, to help us, to support us. Northwest Syria is a disaster zone. We need help of all to save our people."
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