People inspect the debris of a damaged building after airstrikes in central Tehran on Wednesday.-/AFP/Getty Images
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says an “all-hands-on-deck” order is in place to help Canadians stranded in the Middle East as the United States and Israel wage war against Iran.
Ms. Anand told reporters that Canada has secured a limited number of seats on planes leaving Beirut on Wednesday, while Israel has agreed to bus Canadians in that country to the Egyptian border.
There are no immediate plans to send military planes to the region to bring Canadians home, she said on Wednesday.
Live updates: U.S., Israel say attacks ahead of schedule; Congress to vote on war powers
“More than 103,000 Canadians have registered their presence in the Middle East and Gulf states. We will communicate with Canadians who have registered,” Ms. Anand said. “Canadians in the region should prepare departure plans that do not rely solely on government of Canada assistance.”
She said Global Affairs is not currently offering assisted departures, but “we are in touch with our partners to identify potential options.”
Anand says Canadians in the Middle East should look for ways out of the region using commercially available options.
The Canadian Press
There are commercial options available to depart from Lebanon and flights out of Egypt, she added.
“I am on the phone night and day with my counterparts in the region to ensure we are providing the utmost support for Canadians in need.”
Canadians are advised to avoid all travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Ms. Anand said she has not spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio or any other American official since Prime Minister Mark Carney said he backed the U.S.-Israel air strikes against Iran with “regret.”
Andrew Coyne: Why even Iraq war hawks should oppose this war
Mr. Carney has called for a de-escalation, saying the rapidly spreading conflict is threatening lives and the pre-emptive U.S.-Israel attacks “appear to be inconsistent with international law.”
The Foreign Affairs Minister said she did speak to Mr. Rubio on a G7 conference call immediately after the conflict began.
“I have spoken with Secretary Rubio in the context of our G7 relationship and in particular I underlined the point that we were not consulted prior to the conflict beginning and we have no intention of participating.”
In a speech to the Conference of Defence Associations Institute on Wednesday morning, Ms. Anand said Mr. Carney’s foreign policy doctrine is a pragmatic and value-based approach to dealing with a more dangerous world.
She said Canada has long criticized Iran’s theocratic leadership for using proxies to spread violence through the Middle East while working to develop nuclear weapons. Despite decades of negotiations, Iran refuses to dismantle its nuclear program and continues to repress the desire of its own people for freedom and democracy, she added.
Nonetheless, she echoed the Prime Minister’s call for Iran, the U.S. and Israel to “respect the rules of international engagement and international law.”
“Canada supports rapid de-escalation and remains ready to work with partners to achieve this,” Ms. Anand said.
Canada will also continue to support Ukraine both militarily and through financial aid, Ms. Anand said, noting that Russia is losing thousands of soldiers in the battle while its economy is being sapped.
Ottawa is also determined to strengthen its presence in the Arctic but wants NATO to play an increasingly important role along with its Nordic members.