Video | UN joins Israel fire-fighting effort

The UN secretary-general has offered to mobilise additional international help for Israel in its battle to contain massive forest fires that have engulfed the country's north, and have killed at least 41 people.

 Ban Ki-moon's announcement follows offers of assistance by several countries, among which are Turkey and Greece - in response to an urgent appeal by Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

 "This is a terrible tragedy," Ban said in a letter to Netanyahu which was released by the Israeli mission. Ban offered help "mobilising further support" from other United Nations members to battle the blaze on Mount Carmel which now threatens the port of Haifa.

 "I am deeply saddened by the loss of life, suffering, human displacement and damage to nature," Ban said, also praising the courage of Israeli emergency workers and the "generous international assistance" already sent.

 A plane and a helicopter from Cyprus and two British helicopters have been sent to help fight the enormous blaze from above, while a group of Jordanian fire-fighters tackled the flames on the ground.

Bulgaria, Russia Egypt, Azerbaijan, Spain, Croatia and France have also offered contributions.

The largest fire in the country's history scorched more than 7,000 acres of drought-afflicted land, destroyed houses and revealed dramatic shortcomings in the country's ability to tackle such an emergency.

 More than 13,000 people have been evacuated following the disaster. Israel has only 1,500 fire-fighters, a number widely accepted as inadequate for a country of 7.6 million people.