There is a real risk of escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and Canadians should leave Lebanon while possible because Ottawa may not be able to evacuate everyone if the situation worsens, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.
“We see that the risk of escalation is real, the challenges in the region are significant,” Trudeau told reporters in Ontario. “We are making certain preparations to be able to support in the event that everything gets much, much worse, but the situation is so difficult that we may not be able to get all Canadians out.”
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Fears are rising that the Middle East could be tipped into full-blown war following vows by Hezbollah to avenge Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr’s killing, and by Iran to respond to the assassination in Tehran last week of the Hamas chief.
Hezbollah launched a series of drone and rocket attacks into northern Israel on August 6 but warned that its much-anticipated retaliation for Israel’s killing of a top commander last week was yet to come.