Turkey has rejected an offer from Israel for help with putting out the wildfires ravaging the southern coast, Ahval reports.
Officials in Ankara have told Israel that they have the situation under control and do not need help at this time, it cited the Israeli Foreign Ministry as saying.
The report arrives as Spanish and Croatian planes on Tuesday joined battle against deadly Turkish wildfires, which have entered their seventh day.
Firefighting planes from the two European countries joined teams from Russia, Iran, Ukraine and Azerbaijan, who are presently fighting the blazes in Turkey.
Over the weekend, Turkey requested assistance from the EU as it struggles to battle the unprecedented blazes that have swept the nation. Ankara on Sunday activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to ask the European Commission for firefighting support.
Eight people have been killed as forests and farmland across swathes of land adjacent to the Mediterranean and Aegean seas have been razed in the destructive forest fires, which have prompted widespread criticism of the government’s handling of the disaster.
A total of 137 fires in 30 provinces have already been extinguished, but nine blazes continue in the region, causing fear and panic in the population as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been condemned for failing to do enough to put out the flames.
