IDF to conclude Operation Olive Branch after saving 19 lives in Turkey

Israel's Operation Olive Branch delegation will conclude its rescue operations in Turkey and return to Israel in the coming days, according to a Sunday statement from the IDF Spokesperson's Unit. 

The IDF delegation thus far has been able to rescue a total of 19 people trapped in the rubble in the aftermath of Turkey's recent devastating earthquake that has already claimed the lives of over 25,000 people. 

Earlier on Sunday, Israel's Foreign Ministry denied that the United Hatzalah team sent to provide disaster relief to Turkey following the earthquake left early following a verified security threat in the country.

The disputed decision to evacuate the rescue forces was taken following a joint situational assessment with the heads of the IDF Home Front Command and Search and Rescue Units on Saturday.

What was the security threat that forced the Israeli rescue team to leave Turkey?

"We knew that there was a certain level of risk in sending our team to this area of Turkey, which is close to the Syrian border, but we took the necessary steps in order to mitigate the threat for the sake of our lifesaving mission," United Hatzalah vice president of operations Dov Maisel explained. 

"Unfortunately, we have just received intelligence of a concrete and immediate threat on the Israeli delegation and we have to put the security of our personnel first. We are extremely proud of what our team has accomplished in just a few days, assisting in the rescue of 15 individuals in cooperation with the IDF Home Front Command, Israel's Search and Rescue units, local rescue forces, and the Turkish Red Cross."

The details surrounding this verified security threat remain unknown.

However, this is not the first time that there have been verified security threats against Israelis in Turkey. In the past, many of these threats have been attributed to Iran.