Israel sends 80-person rescue delegation to earthquake-hit Colombia

Israel dispatched an 80-person rescue delegation to Colombia following a devastating earthquake, the Home Front Command announced. The delegation, dubbed "Alliance of Friends," departed Thursday night from Nevatim Airbase, headed by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Pinto, and includes IDF, Defense Ministry, and Foreign Affairs representatives. The mission aims to provide immediate life-saving assistance and map destruction sites. Prime Minister Netanyahu approved the deployment after Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella requested aid. This follows Israel's recent aid mission to Venezuela after twin earthquakes, which helped restore consular relations.

Israel has sent an 80-person rescue delegation to Colombia to assist in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, the Home Front Command announced. The delegation, dubbed "Alliance of Friends," took off Thursday night from the Nevatim Airbase, headed by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Pinto, commander of the Home Front Command's National Rescue and Rescue Unit. It includes regular duty soldiers and reservists, with representatives from the IDF, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Maj.-Gen. Shai Klapper, the main goal is to provide immediate life-saving assistance through mapping destruction sites. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the deployment on Wednesday night after Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella requested Israel's help. De la Espriella was inaugurated only four days before the earthquake, replacing the anti-Israel Gustavo Petro. His new administration has pledged to move the Colombian embassy to Jerusalem and recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Israel has a history of sending aid delegations to countries regardless of diplomatic relations, as seen after Venezuela's twin earthquakes in June, which killed over 6,000 people. That delegation, also headed by Pinto, led to the reintroduction of consular relations between Israel and Venezuela.