Around 800 members of Syrian rescue organisation The White Helmets and their families have been evacuated to Jordan, according to Israeli media reports.
The Israeli military confirmed members of a Syrian volunteer civil organisation had been rescued from the Golan Heights border area of Syria due to “an immediate threat to (Syrians’) lives”.
Reports say the volunteers were transferred to Jordan and would travel on from there to the UK, Germany and Canada.
Following an Israeli Government directive and at the request of the United States and additional European countries, the IDF recently completed a humanitarian effort to rescue members of a Syrian civil organization and their families
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 22, 2018
The civilians were evacuated from the war zone in Southern Syria due to an immediate threat to their lives. The transfer of the displaced Syrians through Israel is an exceptional humanitarian gesture
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 22, 2018
The civilians were subsequently transferred to a neighboring country. Israel continues to maintain a non-intervention policy regarding the Syrian conflict and continues to hold the Syrian regime accountable for all activities in Syrian territory
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) July 22, 2018
The announcement marks the first such Israeli intervention in Syria’s civil war.
The military says the “exceptional humanitarian gesture” was done at the request of the United States and its European allies.
It said this does not reflect a change to its non-intervention policy in Syria’s war.
