Federal government representatives inform Canada is getting ready for a possible evacuation of citizens from Lebanon should the Israel-Hamas conflict intensify and spread to that area of the region.
An assistant deputy minister with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Alexandre Lévêque, told newspapers that diplomatic efforts are being focused toward avoiding the conflict from intensifying.
This is all in the anticipation that things can be avoided from spilling over in the rest of the county. But of course, in order to face the unpredicted, measures are ongoing,” he said.
The Canadian Armed Forces have set up a “task force” in Cyprus to support with an evacuation should GAC demand one, Bob Auchterlonie Vice-Admiral said.
Like-minded allies are co-locating to reflect, to organize and to plan for contingency actions in the case of continuous or increased conflict in the district,” he said.
But the government is insisting that Canadians in Lebanon should consider departing if other options are accessible.
If you are in Lebanon, it is time to leave while commercial flights are still existing, Mélanie Joly Foreign Affairs Minister said.
The government delivered a travel advisory last week mentioning that Canadians evade all non-essential travel to Lebanon. It is also cautioning Canadians to evade all travel to the southern district of the country.
Right now, the situation is observed with concern, said a GAC assistant deputy minister Julie Sunday.
Expressing concerned there could be a worsening, and if there is a deterioration there could be inadequate commercial choices to leave.
The government has organized military airlifts for about 1,300 Canadians from Israel to Athens. Canadians in the West Bank have likewise been able to travel to Jordan by bus, a route organized by Ottawa.
But Sunday informs an evacuation of Lebanon would be a challenge, in part due to the amount of Canadians present.
Sunday added, more than 14,000 Canadians in Lebanon have listed with the government. She said that number is likely a “fraction” of the amount of Canadians actually in the country.
Israel has evacuated settlements near its northern border with Lebanon, where the military has exchanged fire recurrently with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.
The Israeli military said it killed four fighters wearing explosive vests who were trying to cross into the country from Lebanon on Tuesday. Video from a scouting drone the army shared displayed the militants close to the boundary wall before they were targeted, causing a blast.
Israel has cautioned Lebanon it will strongly react against attacks from across the border. Israel fought a brutal month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006 that ended in a stalemate.
Officials also confirmed the death of one more Canadian on Tuesday. It brings the number of Canadians killed in Hamas’ attack two weeks ago to 6.
Tiferet Lapidot, 23, was also at the music festival close to the Re’im kibbutz when the outbreak began.
Joly voiced her sympathies to Lapidot’s family and said she had met with her father and uncle during her current visit to Tel Aviv.
They informed me she was a beautiful, brilliant young woman, she said. “My heart and my thoughts are with her loved ones.”
