Canada urged its citizens in Lebanon on Tuesday to leave the country "as long as they are able to do so," warning of the risk of escalating violence between Israel and the Lebanese "Hezbollah" against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie called on Canadians in a statement to leave as long as commercial flights remain available.
She continued: "The security situation in Lebanon is becoming more volatile and unpredictable due to the ongoing and escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel, and it could deteriorate further without warning."
Last Sunday, Israeli media reported that the Canadian government had begun military emergency measures to evacuate 45,000 of its diplomats and nationals in Lebanon, amid fears of the outbreak of war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie informed her Israeli counterpart, Yisrael Katz, of this decision.
Jolie added that Canada "sent military forces to the region to help evacuate Canadians from Lebanon in the event of war breaking out."
The Canadian Foreign Ministry's statement comes in light of the escalation of tension between Israel and Hezbollah, as Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah recently threatened Israel to target it by land, sea and air if it launched a war on Lebanon.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned today of the dangers of a regional war breaking out in the Middle East if matters deteriorate between Israel and Hezbollah.
It is worth noting that Hezbollah confirms that its operations come within the framework of “supporting Gaza and creating a support for it,” stressing that stopping these operations “is contingent on the cessation of the Israeli aggression against Gaza.”
Strange!
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