Ottawa –
At least two Canadians have been killed as violence escalates in Lebanon, killing Hezbollah fighters, civilians and children in Israeli attacks.
Canada’s foreign affairs department said it was aware of the deaths of two Canadians in Lebanon and that another was injured and seeking help.
Liberal MP Faykal El Khoury, who was born in Lebanon, says Canada needs to put more pressure on other countries to stop the cycle of violence in the Middle East, or it could lead to world war.
His cousin, who works as an ophthalmologist in Beirut, said the recent explosion caused a shocking number of physical injuries, with many people having to have their eyes removed.
A Montreal-area MP says the port of Beirut must be protected from attack because it could be the only way to evacuate thousands of Canadians if necessary.
El Khoury said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would make a statement on the situation in Lebanon today.
Last Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said there were about 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon. For months she has been urging Canadians to leave the country while commercial flights are still possible.
Israel claims it is persuading Hezbollah to stop firing rockets into northern Israel, but Canada’s U.N. ambassador, Bob Rae, said Monday that Israel must think “less impulsively about what’s happening and more consequentially.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday that both Israel and Hezbollah need to work to de-escalate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2024.
