Ottawa urges Canadians to leave Lebanon while they can due to escalating violence

OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is urging Canadians to leave an increasingly volatile Lebanon while they can.

In a statement today, Joly says the security situation could deteriorate further without warning due to sustained and escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel.

Joly says it is not the time to travel to Lebanon, and for Canadians now there, it is time to leave while commercial flights remain available.

She warns that if the armed conflict intensifies, it could affect people's ability to leave the country and Canada's capacity to provide consular services.

Canada is not currently offering assisted departures or evacuations for Canadians in Lebanon, and these are not guaranteed.

Joly urges Canadians in Lebanon to consult the federal government's travel advisories regularly and to register with the federal service for Canadians abroad to receive important updates.

"Canadians should make sure their travel documents and those of their spouse and dependent children are always up to date and secure," Joly added.

The government says Canadians who need emergency consular assistance should contact the Embassy of Canada to Lebanon at 961 4 726 700 or Global Affairs Canada's Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa.

Ottawa also announced further measures against Hamas on Tuesday, sanctioning nine individuals and two financial entities that it said took part in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

The government said in a release they "directly or indirectly participated in facilitating, supporting, and providing funding assessed as having been integral to the planning and execution of the attacks."

It said the sanctions are a "further step in Canada's response to the ongoing violence in the region."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2024.

The Canadian Press