Ottawa preparing for possible evacuations from Lebanon but warning Canadians to leave now
Government says it's aware of at least 14,000 Canadians in Lebanon but estimates there are more
Federal government officials say Canada is preparing for a possible evacuation of citizens from Lebanon should the Israel-Hamas war escalate and spread to that part of the region.
Alexandre Lévêque, an assistant deputy minister with Global Affairs Canada (GAC), told reporters on Tuesday that diplomatic efforts are being directed toward preventing the conflict from escalating.
"This is all in the hope things can be prevented from spilling over in the rest of the region. But of course, in order to face the unexpected, preparations are ongoing," he said.
The Canadian Armed Forces have set up a "task force" in Cyprus to assist with an evacuation should GAC request one, Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie said.
"Like-minded allies are co-locating to consider, to coordinate and to plan for contingency operations in the event of continued or increased conflict in the region," he said.
But the government is insisting that Canadians in Lebanon should consider leaving while other means are available.
"If you are in Lebanon, it is now time to leave while commercial flights are still available," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday morning.
The government issued a travel advisory last week recommending that Canadians avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. It is also warning Canadians to avoid all travel to the southern region of the country.
"Right now, we are watching the situation with concern," said Julie Sunday, a GAC assistant deputy minister.
"We are concerned there could be a deterioration, and if there is a deterioration there could be limited commercial options to leave."
The government has arranged military airlifts for roughly 1,300 Canadians from Israel to Athens. Canadians in the West Bank have also been able to travel to Jordan by bus, a route arranged by Ottawa.
But Sunday said an evacuation of Lebanon would be challenging, in part due to the number of Canadians there.
Sunday said more than 14,000 Canadians in Lebanon have registered with the government. She said that figure is likely a "fraction" of the number of Canadians actually in the country.
Israel has evacuated towns near its northern border with Lebanon, where the military has exchanged fire repeatedly with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group.
The Israeli military said it killed four militants wearing explosive vests who were attempting to cross into the country from Lebanon on Tuesday morning. Video from a reconnaissance drone the army shared showed the militants near the border wall before they were targeted, causing an explosion.
Israel has warned Lebanon it will strongly retaliate against attacks from across the border. Israel fought a vicious month-long war with Hezbollah in 2006 that ended in a stalemate.
Officials confirm death of 6th Canadian
Officials also confirmed the death of another Canadian on Tuesday. It brings the total number of Canadians killed in Hamas' attack two weeks ago to six.
Tiferet Lapidot, 23, was also at the music festival near the Re'im kibbutz when the attack began.
Joly expressed her condolences to Lapidot's family and said she had met with her father and uncle during her recent visit to Tel Aviv.
"They told me how much she was a brilliant, beautiful young woman," she said. "My heart and my thoughts are with her loved ones."
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With files from the Associated Press