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Rescue of White Helmets Applauded; Netanyahu Says Trump, Trudeau Requested

A day after hundreds of volunteers with the Syrian Civil Defense were evacuated to Jordan on July 21, the EU and others applauded the operation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the United States and Canada drove the effort.

This footage was posted on the Israel Defense Forces’ social media channels, and was described as demonstrating Israel’s efforts to facilitate the evacuation of White Helmets personnel from Syria through Israel to Jordan. Various reports have said the number evacuated was as many as 800.

The volunteer White Helmets have been a significant presence in Syrian cities throughout the country’s war, staging rescues, pulling airstrike victims from rubble, putting out fires and other responses to the devastation that has torn major cities apart.

A Canadian foreign ministry statement on Saturday, quoted by the Jerusalem Post, said the White Helmets “have witnessed vicious atrocities committed by the Assad regime and its backers … We feel a deep moral responsibility to these brave and selfless people.” Credit: IDF via Storyful