On the way home from visiting the troops in Afghanistan, President Obama called Prime Minister Netanyahu. The President expressed his deepest condolences on behalf of the American people for the tragic loss of life resulting from the fires in northern Israel. The President said he is pleased that American and Israeli officials have been in near-constant contact since the fires began. The President said that USAID and the Department of Defense will be delivering large procurements of fire-retardant chemicals this weekend. The President informed the Prime Minister that the first specialized technical team will arrive tomorrow, with other teams to arrive shortly thereafter, and that the United States government is also working with private industry to mobilize private resources to assist with the effort. The President said that we are working hard to identify a variety of firefighting aircraft to assist with the effort, including possibly deploying assets from the United Sates. The President concluded the conversation by noting that we are pursuing a “full court press” to help and have the Israeli people in our thoughts and prayers.

(YWN Israel Desk)