Canada announced on Wednesday that it will be evacuating the children of its diplomats from Israel due to escalating concerns over the intensifying conflict in the Middle East.
The decision comes as tensions between Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah raise fears of a broader regional war, amid Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza, which have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis.
Concerns have heightened particularly after the recent killings of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Iran, and Fuad Shukr, a senior military commander of Lebanon's Hezbollah, in Beirut.
These assassinations have sparked vows of retaliation against Israel, further increasing the risk of wider conflict.
According to the Canadian Press, Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that it will temporarily relocate the children of its diplomats and their dependents to a third, safer country.
The ministry clarified that no dependents reside with diplomats currently stationed in Ramallah, West Bank, or Beirut, Lebanon, as reported by Reuters.
On Saturday, Canada issued a travel advisory warning its citizens against traveling to Israel, citing the ongoing conflict and the unpredictable security situation in the region.
The advisory also strongly discouraged travel to Gaza and the West Bank.
Despite the evacuation of dependents, the Canadian government assured that its embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut, as well as the representative office to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Canadians in the region.
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