Damascus: A Syrian government official is said to have abruptly refused the humanitarian aid Israel offered to the earthquake-hit country, denying the allegation that it had requested aid from Israel, a country which Syria never recognised.
The Syrian official’s comment came when Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had approved providing aid to Syria, where hundreds of people died following the high-magnitude earthquakes that had shaken Syria and Turkey where the causalities and damages are high.
Giving a go-ahead with humanitarian aid signal, Netanyahu said that he had received a request for aid from Syria through a diplomatic channel, which he declined to reveal.
The Syrian official ridiculed the aid request going from its side to Israel, which has killed Syrians for decades.
Syria’s government does not recognize Israel and the two countries have fought several wars since Israel’s creation in 1948.
Netanyahu’s office declined to provide further details on the source of the request to help Syria, where hundreds of people were killed by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake Monday in neighbouring Turkiye.
The Israeli leader has also confirmed his government would send humanitarian assistance to Turkiye following the disaster.