Israel evacuates White Helmets from Syria

Israeli forces on Sunday evacuated 422 members of the Syrian Civil Defense force—also known as the White Helmets—who had been working in a volatile border region between the two countries. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he authorized the humanitarian mission at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The White Helmets have worked for years to help victims of Syria’s long-running civil war. The group has earned the help of the international community, said Yaakov Lappin, an analyst at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies: “It’s something that can be done for these people after all the years that they risked their lives to save many, many Syrian civilians who have been injured by the indiscriminate bombings throughout the war.”

Hostile Syrian troops on one side and ISIS-affiliated militants on the other had trapped the rescue workers and their families, prompting the unique operation. Israeli forces transported the evacuees to Jordan. They are expected to resettle in Europe and Canada in the coming weeks.