ALBAWABA - Israel rescue team said Sunday it had suspended its earthquake operation in Turkey due to a "significant" security threat to its staff. However, Israeli refused the claim.
Israel's foreign ministry denied on Sunday that the United Hatzalah team sent to Turkey following the deadly earthquake, which killed over 33,000 people, left early due to a verified security threat, Jerusalem Post reported.
Earlier today, the combined @Israel rescue team, @IDF Home Front Command, Search and Rescue Units, and our team located and rescued a 7-year-old girl from a collapsed building in #Kahramanmaras after locating her via thermal cameras from our drone. #Turkey #TurkeyQuake pic.twitter.com/FLBshPW6zm
— United Hatzalah (@UnitedHatzalah) February 9, 2023
On the other hand, the United Hatzalah group said on Sunday that it had taken an emergency flight back to Israel due to a "verified security threat".
"Unfortunately, we have just received intelligence of a concrete and immediate threat on the Israeli delegation and we have to put the security of our personnel first," the group's vice president of operations Dov Maisel stated.
According to the Israeli newspaper, the rescue team saved 19 people in Turkey after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Turkey and Syria on Monday destroying houses and buildings and injuring tens of thousands.
