Everest climber skips summit‚ rescues friend

ISTANBUL: An Israeli who rescued a distressed climber on Mount Everest instead of pushing onward to the summit says the man he helped, an American of Turkish origin, is like a brother.

Nadav Ben-Yehuda came across Aydin Irmak near the summit last weekend. At that time, four climbers died on their way down from the summit amid a traffic jam of more than 200 people who were rushing to reach the world's highest peak as the weather deteriorated.

Ben-Yehuda said in an interview with The Associated Press that Irmak was in a dire state and without basic equipment.

Israel's ambassador in Nepal says the rescue was about the power of friendship despite tensions in the Middle East. Political ties between Israel and Turkey have sharply deteriorated in recent years.