Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu praised the Southern Infantry Regiment for its commitment.

“Another night of trials and sacrifices for the young people of the Southern Infantry Regiment, engaged on both sides of the Seman river,” said Vengu.

According to him, the evacuation of residents in the villages along the river in the municipalities of Kuçova and Dimal was carried out throughout the night.

Vengu emphasized that the Armed Forces, in coordination with the National Civil Protection Agency, are engaged on the ground, side by side with local structures, to manage the situation and protect the lives and property of citizens.

There has been heavy rainfall for several days that has caused large river flows. /j.p/p.s./

The areas of the Western Lowlands, such as Durrës, Fier and Vlora, are already facing a more pressing problem. Hence, Ministry of Defense has ordered evacuation in several municipal units of these regions.

In accordance with the Law “On Civil Protection”, the National Civil Emergency Plan and the Local Civil Emergency Plans, as a result of the situation created by the floods and the immediate danger to the life and health of the citizens, there has been ordered the immediate evacuation of residents of the administrative units of Sukth and Katund i Ri, Durrës municipality, of the administrative unit of Ferras in the municipality of Fier and of the administrative unit of Novosela, in the municipality of Vlora.

The evacuation will be carried out through coordination with the National Civil Protection Agency, the regional Prefect, as well as the Civil Emergency structures in the municipality.

The central and local government authorities, in coordination with the State Police, Civil Emergencies and health structures are on standby to assist residents in the flooded areas. /e.i/a.f/r.e/p.s./

Prefect of the coastal city Emilian Jani told ATA today that all the relevant local structures, in cooperation with the State Police and Civil Emergencies, are deployed on the ground to monitor the situation.

“Until late last night, several people have been evacuated. The number of individuals who have been evacuated so far is around 304 people. They have been accommodated in the Ministry of Interior’s Rest House and in the buildings of the Ministry of Defense. The most problematic areas are those of the former NISH Tulla and the former Këneta area. We are monitoring the situation and are close to every family,” said Jani.

Meanwhile, it is reported that rainwater has receded from the main roads in the city, making them passable for citizens and cars. /e.i/a.f/r.e/p.s./

Although the waters of the Vjosa River have begun to recede today, for safety reasons, 7 families were evacuated yesterday in Novosela municipal unit in Vlora region, while 3 others near the Mifoli bridge, bringing the total number of the evacuated families into 10.

In Saranda, there is an overflow of the Kalasa River, while priority is being given to avoiding the risk to homes in the village of Çuka, where the embankment of the Bistrica River has been damaged.

OSHEE electricity utility teams continue to work to reconnect power to the Llogara tunnel, while teams on the ground have intervened to remove water from homes in Ksamil, Metoq and Vrion.

In Fier region, around 50–60 hectares of agricultural land are under water and a family has been evacuated to Çerven.

In Lezha region, water levels are rising due to a breach in the Vaini lagoon embankment. Emergency teams are working to protect homes and businesses, while in some cases there have been carried out evacuations by boat. The works to repair the embankment is underway.

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“Due to the rapid spread of fires in Narta, Skënderbegës (Gramsh) and Delvina, we call on residents to follow the instructions of emergency teams and evacuate immediately to safe areas,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Over the past 24 hours, there have been identified 64 fires, of which 24 are still active.

Over 10,000 emergency forces, under the coordination of the Civil Protection Agency, are on the ground and the situation is moving towards stabilization. The extensive firefighting operation has continued without interruption throughout the night, aiming to limit the perimeter of the flames near residential areas and national parks throughout the country. Three helicopters are also operating from the air in Gramsh and two others in Delvina. /gj.m/j.p/p.s./

Through an urgent evacuation notice, the Ministry of Defense requested that residents of the villages of Ħermenj, Harunas and Zenelas to immediately leave their homes and cooperate with the authorities for a safe evacuation.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Defense, the village of Skënderbegas has already been evacuated.

The situation from the fires in the municipality of Gramsh is rather serious, while residents of seven villages located near the fire centers are currently being evacuated.

Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu was today in the village of Harunas in Gramsh, where the Armed Forces, firefighting teams and local civil emergency bodies are working on the ground to extinguish the flames and evacuate residents.

“200 persona have been evacuated, so far. 4 helicopters of Albanian Air Force and allied forces and will continue to operate until the evening”, said Vengu.

Vengu is on the ground together with Minister of Interior Ervin Hoxha and the head of the National Civil Emergencies Agency Haki Çako.

During the last 24 hours, 50 fires have been identified throughout the country, 19 of which are still active. 82 firefighting vehicles and 1080 operational forces have been deployed in the firefighting operations. /m.m/p.s./

Emergency crews and Armed Forces units are on the ground assisting in the evacuations due to worsening conditions and difficult terrain that is hampering firefighting efforts. The ministry said that every effort is being made to protect lives and property.

Several active fire fronts have been reported in Tirana County, including one in the area known as “Mali i Bërzhitës” near the village of Ibë, where operational teams are working to contain the flames.

A large wildfire has also broken out in the hills above the villages of Damjan and Isufaj, in the Arbanë area of Vaqarr administrative unit. Six vehicles, around 40 emergency personnel, and a Croatian Canadair water bomber have been deployed to battle the blaze.

In the villages of Ferraj and Zall-Herr, part of the Tirana municipality, wildfires have spread across shrubland and thorny terrain. Firefighting vehicles from the Civil Protection Service are engaged in the area, but homes remain at risk. Two Blackhawk helicopters from the United Arab Emirates have joined the response.

A separate fire has been reported in the hills of Selita, also within Tirana municipality. Due to the inaccessible terrain, ground vehicles cannot reach the area. Municipal forces are monitoring the situation closely.

In Stërbeg village, Rrogozhinë municipality, flames have advanced from nearby Spanesh. Firefighting units from Rrogozhinë are working to contain the spread.

Meanwhile, in Hajdaraj village, Kavajë municipality, fire fronts are nearly extinguished. Ground crews have been supported by aerial firefighting, including a plane currently operating to eliminate the last remaining hotspot.

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Minister of Defense Pirro Vengu described the situation in Finiq as an “extremely challenging,” where firefighting teams from the municipalities of Finiq, Delvinë, Konispol, and Saranda, supported by 5 firefighting teams and 70 members of the Armed Forces, as well as 20 members of the State Police, continuously battled the fires that spread, favored by strong winds, between the villages of Velahovo, Livinë, Ardhasovë, Bistrica, and Krongj.

According to the Ministry of Defense, there were carried out the temporary evacuations of the local residents in Livinë and Ardhasovë and there were taken measures to provide medical assistance to the elderly, while operational and volunteer forces ensured the protection of every home and business at risk.

In the early hours of the morning, there was carried out a successful operation to prevent the spread of flames that were endangering the Bistrica Hydropower Plant, while is also expected the air intervention.

For safety reasons, vehicle movement along the Muzinë – Bistrica road will continue to remain limited until the end of the operations.

Operational forces continue to work on the ground to control any area where the fire could be reactivated by the wind and high temperatures in the coming hours. /p.s./

Foreign Minister told Top Channel TV that the family of five, including two parents and three children, were repatriated through the help of partner and friendly countries. Hasani clarified that the five were safely brought to Albanian territory via a third country.

The most recent operation follows the evacuation of several Albanians from Israel ten days ago.

Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2022 following a major cyberattack attributed to Tehran.

Hasani highlighted ongoing diplomatic efforts to protect Albanians abroad, including the case of Klaudio Kanani, who was spared a death sentence in China.

Albania is negotiating with China to allow Kanani to serve his sentence in Albania through a prisoner exchange agreement.

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In a social media post, Foreign Minister Hasani said that that the evacuees – in Israel for work or family reasons – were evacuated through Jordan and Egypt.

Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to the Israeli, Jordanian, and Egyptian authorities, as well as the Austrian Embassy in Tel Aviv, for their close coordination with Albanian embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo.

The Foreign Ministry, he added, continues to prioritize assistance to Albanian nationals affected by the situation and in need of institutional support.

The first group of five Albanian citizens was evacuated from Israel on June 18, following an escalation in hostilities between Israel and Iran involving reciprocal missile attacks.

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