Canada condemns Iran’s strikes on Israel but asks Israel not to retaliate Achi-News

OTTAWA – As war in the Middle East escalated on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly “unequivocally” condemned Iran’s move to fire dozens of missiles at Israel but asked the Jewish state not to respond in a bid to avoid further escalation.

Joly also pleaded with Canadians in Lebanon to leave immediately as Israel begins what it calls a limited ground operation against Hezbollah targets in the south of that country.

“These attacks from Iran will only further destabilize the region, and it must stop,” Joly said on Parliament Hill. The latest moves by Israel and Iran risk “total war” in the Middle East he said.

In the House of Commons, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre demanded that the government say unequivocally that Israel has the right to defend itself.

Joly said in response that she had been in contact with her counterparts in Israel earlier in the day. In an earlier scrum with reporters, Joly said that Israel has the right to defend itself but that further escalation of the war is not going to help.

Last week Canada joined the G7 countries and several Middle Eastern allies in demanding a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah as the intensity of fighting between the two intensified.

Defense Minister Bill Blair and Joly insisted they still believed a diplomatic solution was possible.

“I believe it is possible to reach peace,” said Joly. “I believe we are in a moment where we need to save lives.”

On Friday, Canada began helping to reserve hundreds of seats for Canadian citizens on the few commercial flights still available from Beirut to Istanbul, after many carriers canceled service to and from Lebanon.

Joly desperately begged people to accept the offer, saying that 200 people took advantage of the seats over the weekend, and 200 more on a flight to Istanbul on Tuesday.

She said that 4,000 people had inquired with her department about the offer of help to leave Lebanon, but of the 1,700 who have been called back so far, only half received one of the seats.

“If you’re offered a seat, take it. It’s time to leave now,” he said. “I know it’s a difficult choice. I know the situation is very difficult, but my priority is your safety.”

Officials from Global Affairs Canada were set to brief Canadian media about the efforts later Tuesday.

Blair said Canada does not believe Israel’s incursion into southern Lebanon amounts to a “full-scale invasion” yet, but such an invasion remains a possibility.

“We must remain hopeful that there is a possibility of a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the current conflict,” he said. “But we are watching with increasing concern for an increase in violence.”

The latest escalation comes nearly a year after a deadly Hamas attack in Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and abducting another 250. Israel responded with attacks in Gaza, which have left more than 41,000 dead, according to the Gaza health ministry.

Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire across the Lebanese border almost daily since October 8, 2023, with communities in northern Israel evacuated as a result.

An air strike last week killed Hezbollah’s longtime chief, Hassan Nasrallah. Two Canadians were killed in Lebanon in Israeli airstrikes, also last week.

On Tuesday evening, Canadian MPs will hold an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the Middle East crisis and its evacuation measures. NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson asked for the debate first thing on Tuesday and Speaker of the House Greg Fergus agreed to it.

This report was first published by The Canadian Press on October 1, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press

Canadian Press. All rights reserved.