UK Agrees to Give Shelter Hundreds of White Helmets Evacuated from Syria by Israel

At least 500 members or relatives of the Syrian volunteer civil defence forces known as the White Helmets have been offered asylum by UK who have been rescued from Syria and evacuated by Israel “due to an immediate threat to their lives”.
Western powers had become concerned in recent weeks that the volunteers’ lives were at risk as Russian-backed Syrian forces tightened their grip on one of the last rebel-held areas in southern Syria.
The Israeli military said the evacuation carried out at the request of the US and a number of European countries. They were expecting around 800 people – but just over half that number is believed to have crossed the border. Evacuation plans were drawn up after discussions at the recent Nato summit.
Britain along with Germany and Canada has agreed to take them within three months, according to Jordan’s official Petra news agency.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on Twitter: “Several days ago President Trump contacted me, as did Canadian prime minister Trudeau and others, and requested that we assist in evacuating hundreds of White Helmets from Syria. These are people who have saved lives and whose lives were in danger. I therefore authorised their transfer via Israel to other countries as an important humanitarian gesture.”
Before transferring in Britain, Germany and Canada within the next three months, the transferred Syrians will remain in a restricted area in Jordan for the time being, Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mohammad al-Kayed told the Jordanian state-run Petra news agency.
> Shiuly Rina