DAMASCUS: A specialized Syrian search-and-rescue team has arrived in Venezuela to join urgent international relief efforts following two powerful earthquakes in the South American country last week.
More than 14 years of responding to the effects of a devastating civil war, as well as catastrophic earthquakes in 2023, have given Syrian first responders a rare level of field expertise in rescuing survivors from rubble and debris in complex situations. This experience, gained under extreme operational conditions, is now positioning the nation as a capable provider of international disaster response assistance.
The mission in Venezuela was described by authorities as a significant step in postwar Syria’s evolving humanitarian role that underscores its growing capacity to contribute to international disaster-response efforts, and reflects its efforts to position itself as a contributor to international humanitarian operations after years of receiving foreign disaster assistance itself.
It was also said to highlight Syria’s transformation from a recipient of humanitarian aid following the devastating earthquake in northern and western Syria three years ago into a provider of search-and-rescue expertise capable of supporting other nations in similar times of crisis.
