Israel sending IDF search and rescue team to Florida to assist with tower collapse efforts

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Workers search in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo, in Surfside, Florida, on June 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Workers search in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South Condo, in Surfside, Florida, on June 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The Israel Defense Forces is sending a search and rescue delegation to Florida to assist with efforts following the Surfside residential building collapse.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz says he approved the team of Home Front Command soldiers to head to Florida in coordination with Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The approval came after talks over the weekend between Israeli defense officials and officials in Miami, the statement from the Defense Ministry reads.

“As with any national mission, the IDF and the defense establishment are ready to respond, act and assist. Every effort will be made to save lives, support the Jewish community and our friend the United States,” Gantz says.

“The State of Israel has no better friend than the United States, and the United States has no better friend than Israel. In such difficult moments, we stand with our American friends and the Jewish community in Florida,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid says.

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