Wildfires Rage near Greek Capital, Houses Damaged

 Smoke rises next to a horse riding center, as a wildfire burns in Kalyvia, near Athens, Greece, July 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises next to a horse riding center, as a wildfire burns in Kalyvia, near Athens, Greece, July 17, 2023. (Reuters)
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Wildfires Rage near Greek Capital, Houses Damaged

 Smoke rises next to a horse riding center, as a wildfire burns in Kalyvia, near Athens, Greece, July 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises next to a horse riding center, as a wildfire burns in Kalyvia, near Athens, Greece, July 17, 2023. (Reuters)

Villagers were ordered to leave their homes as two separate wildfires fanned by strong winds damaged houses southeast and west of Athens on Monday, authorities said.

Several houses were damaged by a blaze that broke out in the village of Kouvaras, about 27 km (17 miles) from the Greek capital, and spread fast to nearby settlements, a Greek fire service official said.

Up to 150 firemen, 40 fire engines and 11 aircraft were trying to control the flames amid gale-force winds.

Greek television showed a house and several cars gutted by the blaze, and white and black smoke billowing from burning vegetation.

"It's a difficult day with several fires (burning) across the country," Greek Fire Service spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios told a televised briefing, adding that fire brigade services have been placed on standby duty in the wider Athens area.

Residents of at least two villages, a summer camp and a rehabilitation center were evacuated in another wildfire close to the seaside resort of Loutraki, about 50 miles west of Athens, the fire service and local authorities said.

Some 59 firemen with 19 fire engines and seven aircraft have been deployed to contain that blaze.

The Greek meteorological service has warned of a high danger of fire, just as the country is recovering from the first major heatwave of the summer.

A second heatwave is forecast to affect the Mediterranean nation later this week.

Changing weather conditions associated with global warming will further increase the danger of fire in Europe, according to research by the European Commission.



Netanyahu Says ‘We Can Finish the Job’ against Iran after Meeting Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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Netanyahu Says ‘We Can Finish the Job’ against Iran after Meeting Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel and the United States are determined to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions and its "aggression" in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Speaking after meeting Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said they had held a "very productive discussion" on a number of issues, "none more important than Iran".

"Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran," he said. "We agreed that the mullahs must not have nuclear weapons and also agreed that Iran's aggression in the region must be rolled back."

Rubio said: "Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people that call this region home is Iran."

Israeli-Iranian enmity stretches back decades through a history of clandestine wars and attacks by land, sea, air and cyberspace.

Iran, which says it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, has also backed armed groups across the Middle East that describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israel and US influence in the region.

The Axis includes not only Hamas, the Palestinian group that ignited the Gaza war by attacking Israel in October 2023, but also the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, the Houthi militias in Yemen, various Shiite armed groups in Iraq and Syria.

Over the 16 months since the Gaza war erupted, Israel has assassinated top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and Israel and Iran have exchanged limited retaliatory attacks.

Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a "mighty blow" to Iran since the start of the war in Gaza and said that with the support of US President Donald Trump "I have no doubt we can and will finish the job".

Thanking Rubio for "unequivocal backing" for Israel's policy in Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel and the United States under Trump shared a common strategy in the Palestinian enclave, where a fragile ceasefire is in effect.

"I want to assure everyone who's now listening to us, President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us," he said.