An Israeli firefighting plane extinguishes a fire on a field of wheat after a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed near homes in Moshav Zohar, Israel May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Saturday evening that Israel will send two firefighting planes to Cyprus on Sunday to help put out fires raging on the island.

Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke with his Cypriot counterpart, Nikos Christodoulides, and said Israel would do everything in its power to help Cyprus bring the fires under control.

A huge fire, fueled by winds and heat, broke out in southern Cyprus on Saturday, prompting authorities to ask for help from Israel and the European Union.

About 10 villages were evacuated.

However, firefighters have yet to extinguish the fire in the Arakapas district north of the port city of Limassol.

No casualties were reported but several homes were destroyed.

Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades thanked Greece in a tweet, after Greece sent two firefighting planes within the framework of a European mechanism, and Israel for having answered the call during this “difficult” day.

Cyprus has been facing a heat wave since the start of the week, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius.