(6 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Latakia countryside, Syria – 6 July 2025
1. Drone shots of wildfires burning in Rabiaa area in Latakia countryside ++MUTE++
2. Drone shot of Syrian Civil Defence fire trucks and firefighters heading towards burning areas ++MUTE++
3. Tracking shot from car passing by burnt forest in Rabiaa area
4. Firefighters using water cannon to extinguish flames
5. Various of smouldering trees
6. Firefighters extinguishing burning trees
7. Various of smoke rising from smouldering trees and debris
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmad Yaziji, Syrian Civil Defence officer:
“We have recorded a large number of fire extinguishments, but there are still some fire hotspots, some of which are in a dangerous stage due to rough terrain and steep slopes. More importantly, these areas or hotspots contain unexploded ordnance and landmines. We are working on containing these fires and also ensuring the safety of the teams involved.”
9. Various drone shots of Jordanian helicopters taking water from lake and flying towards burning areas ++MUTE++
10. Various of members of Al- Hayat NGO watching footage of burning areas
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sariya Bitar, Al- Hayat Team manager:
“More than 20 teams and humanitarian organizations are currently present in the coastal countryside, creating a sense of social solidarity. Organizations have come from Aleppo, Homs, Damascus, and even neighbouring countries like Turkey and Jordan to respond urgently to extinguish and calm the fires in the coastal countryside, an area considered one of Syria’s green lungs, rich in vegetation and natural cover, and essential for the country’s breathing. Unfortunately, we have lost a significant portion of this green cover.”
12. Turkish helicopter flying over a burning area
13. Drone shot of smoke rising ++MUTE++
STORYLINE:
Firefighting team including members of Syria’s Civil Defence and the United Nations battled wildfires for a fourth day on Sunday along the Syrian coast.
U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria Adam Abdelmoula said in a statement that the fast-spreading blazes in the northwestern province of Latakia “have forced hundreds of families to flee their homes, while vast tracts of agricultural land and vital infrastructure have been destroyed.”
U.N. teams are “conducting urgent assessments to determine the scale of the disaster and to identify the most immediate humanitarian needs,” he said.
Firefighting teams from Turkey and Jordan have joined Syrian Civil Defense teams, providing support from the air with helicopters.
Syria’s state-run SANA news agency reported that the firefighters are attempting to prevent the blazes from reaching the al-Frunloq reserve, with its “large, interconnected forests.”
The forest is "an area considered one of Syria’s green lungs, rich in vegetation and natural cover," said Sariya Bitar, a team manager at NGO Al- Hayat which is helping to fight the flames.
"Unfortunately, we have lost a significant portion of this green cover," he added.
Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh called the situation “extremely tragic.”
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, he said the fires had destroyed “hundreds of thousands of trees” covering an area estimated at 10,000 hectares.
“We regret and mourn every tree that burned, which was a source of fresh air for us,” al-Saleh said.
The Syrian Civil Defence expressed concerns over the presence of unexploded ordnance left over from the country’s nearly 14-year civil war in some of the wildfire areas.
AP video shot by Ghaith Alsayyed
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