Cyprus on Monday sent two helicopters to contribute to the Lebanese efforts to extinguish a huge fire bursted out Sunday in the country's southern Bekaa Valley.

Fotis Fotiou, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, told the press that after a request from the Lebanese government, Cyprus sent two Russia-made fire-fighting helicopters Kamov 32 to southern Lebanon early Monday morning.

"It is a humanitarian issue and we responded immediately to the request of the Lebanese government, just as we did during the war (between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah)," Fotiou said.

During the 34-day-long fighting in Lebanon, Cyprus had provided its infrastructure to assist international efforts to evacuate foreign nationals fleeing from Lebanon.

Cyprus also contributed to the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the neighboring country under war at that time.

Source: Xinhua