Wildfires Devour Over 7,000 Hectares in Latakia as Syria Forms Emergency Response Team –
More than 7,000 hectares of forest burned in the mountains of Latakia as of Sunday, prompting Syria’s Emergency and Disaster Management Minister, Raed al-Saleh, to announce the formation of a joint operations room to contain the fires.
Speaking to Al-Ikhbariya TV, al-Saleh said around 90 teams and over 150 vehicles, with support from Turkey and Jordan, are battling the ongoing fires in Latakia’s countryside. He described the blazes as a “climate and environmental disaster.”
Efforts are hampered by landmines, war remnants, and strong winds, he added.
Earlier on X, al-Saleh said a field operations room was established with several Syrian organizations now providing logistical and on-the-ground support, including water tankers, trained volunteer firefighting teams, and heavy machinery to cut fire lines and limit the spread.
The fires have spread to surrounding areas, forcing residents to flee several villages and causing multiple cases of suffocation due to the thick smoke. Since breaking out on 3 July, the Latakia mountain fires have consumed vast areas of vegetation, with local firefighting teams and civilians struggling to contain them.
The blaze has shut down the international highway linking Latakia to Turkiye and disrupted several power generation stations.
“Tobacco, fruit, vegetables, meat, chicken, eggs, cheese, milk—everything comes from the coast,” a local source told The Cradle’s Syria correspondent. “Entire yards have been burning for weeks now. Literally all the coast people are farmers—they all work in agriculture.”
The source added that Alawite men have taken up guard duty across Latakia’s villages to prevent further arson by extremist militants.
Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, described as anti-Druze, anti-Shia, anti-Alawite, and anti-Christian, previously claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Church in Dweila, Damascus, which left dozens dead and injured.
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