Kassab border crossing closed amid escalating wildfires in coastal Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian General Authority for Land and Maritime Border Crossings announced on Saturday the temporary closure of the Kassab border crossing with Turkey due to the ongoing wildfires raging in the coastal mountain region.
Mazen Alloush, Director of Public Relations at the Authority, stated via his account on X, saying that the Kassab border crossing has been temporarily closed due to the wildfires spreading in the coastal mountains and their approach to the border area.
For the tenth consecutive day, Syrian Civil Defense teams—supported by neighboring countries—have been battling the flames in Latakia countryside.
So far, the fires have consumed more than 15,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land, with no full containment achieved.
On Saturday, six aircraft from Qatar arrived to assist in firefighting operations, according to Syrian media reports.
On Friday, Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh and Latakia Governor Mohammad Othman welcomed firefighting teams arriving from northeastern Syria to support the ongoing efforts of the Syrian Civil Defense in extinguishing the wildfires in Latakia’s countryside.