In November 2019, after a deadly earthquake struck Albania, Israel sent Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military engineer troops to Albania to search through the rubble for survivors and rescue them, assess whether buildings were structurally sound, and provide Albanians who had been evacuated from their homes with waterproof tents to shelter them. In January 2020, Albanian President Ilir Meta met with Israel Defense Forces soldiers during an official visit in Israel, embraced them, thanked them for their assistance, and awarded them the Albanian Golden Medal of the Eagle.