As the Iran-Israel conflict is fierce, Ottawa vows if citizens leave – the country
The federal government will help Canadians get stuck in Iran, Israel and the West Bank, and as the deadly conflict escalates, Canadians will leave the area on nearby commercial flights.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand said in a statement Thursday that the Canadians will have to arrive in neighboring countries first.
Iran and Israeli airspace have been closed since the two countries began trading strikes about a week ago. That has only developed further since then, with U.S. President Donald Trump currently weighing whether to authorize U.S. military forces against Iran.
Anand said the government is providing existing aid to Canadians, the West Bank and Iran to plan to leave the region through certain neighboring countries,” Anand said.
“Given the airspace is not open, we can provide consular services to Canadians once they cross the border into neighboring countries,” Anand said.
She added that in addition to Israel and the West Bank, she has deployed additional consular services in Jordan, Türkiye and Armenia.
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“We are developing further options with our allies,” Anand said. Canadians are registering in foreign services to receive the latest information and guidance from officials.
Canadian Global Affairs said on Tuesday that more than 82,000 Canadians in the Middle East volunteered to register on the service, including more than 4,000 Iranian and Israeli.
These figures start the day before and do not reflect how many Canadians there may be in the region.
Canada warns Canadians not to travel to most countries in the Middle East due to ongoing hostilities.
It moved non-essential diplomats and their families on Monday from Canada's embassy in Tel Aviv and the consular office in Ramallah.
The U.S. State Department told U.S. citizens who wish to leave Iran that they must walk into neighboring countries such as Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan before getting commercial flights.
The U.S. said Wednesday it is planning to evacuate Americans in Israel, including military transport, in addition to commercial options. It has since sent more military assets on standby after Israel evacuated all non-essential diplomats from the region before it attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities on Friday.
Canada and the United States have no consular or diplomatic relations with Iran. Canadians in Iran are urging to contact the embassy in Ankara, Türkiye, while the Swiss government provides consular services to Americans.
The EU, China and other countries have evacuated thousands of other foreign nationals from Israel and Iran.
At least 639 people, including 263 civilians, were killed in Iran and more than 1,300 people were injured in the Israeli strike, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. In retaliation, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones, killing at least 24 people in Israel and wounding hundreds.
– Documents with the Associated Press
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