Canada is ready to evacuate up to 20,000 of its citizens from Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, CBC News reports, citing Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair.
“Blair said the government is willing to evacuate up to 20,000 people… in total there are 40,000 people with Canadian passports in the region.” – says the channel’s message.
According to the television channel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Melanie Joly He said the government was reserving seats for its citizens on commercial flights, urging them to leave Lebanon immediately, adding that Canadians could use credit to buy their plane tickets.
The Defense Minister stressed that evacuation does not necessarily mean a return to Canada, as the government’s main objective is to get its citizens to safety, and named Cyprus as a possible destination. He added that Canada maintains a ship off the coast of Lebanon, as well as 150 military personnel to help citizens evacuate in the event of further escalation in the region.
