Ottawa –
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said about 45,000 Canadians are in Lebanon, months after warning there was no guarantee the Canadian government would be able to evacuate them if the situation worsened.
She also expressed concern that attacks such as exploding pagers will only make the situation worse.
“My message to any Canadian thinking about going to Lebanon is: don’t go. I’ve been saying that for months,” she told reporters in Toronto on Friday.
Following Hamas’ brutal attacks on Israel last October, Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah fighters have fired rockets into northern Israel, forcing residents near the border to flee and leading Israel to attack both civilian and Hezbollah infrastructure.
By late October last year, Jolie had begun urging Canadians to leave Lebanon, saying the military was looking into ways to evacuate nationals if necessary.
The government has not previously specified how many people need to be evacuated, stating only the number who have actively registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. As of late July, that number was about 21,400, but the Canadian government has warned that many people have not registered.
At the time, Jolie warned that if things got worse, “the conditions on the ground might not allow us to help you,” and on Friday she got more specific about how many people could become trapped.
“We know that there are about 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon,” she said.
“We need to make sure that the message is clear and that Canadians understand it well. And we need to make sure that we are well prepared.”
Jolly said there needed to be an end to the suffering in all parts of the region.
“We are very concerned about what is happening in Lebanon and of course across the Middle East,” she said.
Jolie pointed to escalating violence in Lebanon, including deadly attacks on exploding pagers and walkie-talkies widely believed to be Israeli, targeting Hezbollah fighters.
The Associated Press reported that the pager attack left at least 12 people dead, including two young children, and injured thousands.
“Whatever tactical or strategic differences there may be, at the end of the day this war needs to end,” Jolly said Friday.
Her statement follows one released by the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on social media late Wednesday, which drew criticism from Israel apologists.
“We are deeply concerned by reports that civilians, including children, have been killed or injured,” the State Department said in a statement following the pager explosion. “Canada calls on all parties to avoid further escalation of violence and to protect civilians.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
