Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, informed Foreign Minister Israel Katz that Canada is preparing militarily to evacuate its 45,000 citizens from Lebanon due to its concern over a possible war, Channel 12 News reported on Friday. According to the report, Joly told Katz during the tense conversation that Canada has already sent military forces to the region to assist in the operation to evacuate Canadian citizens from Lebanon if a war breaks out. "We are very concerned over a war in Lebanon and are preparing for the largest rescue operation we have ever conducted," she said. Katz responded to Joly and said, according to Channel 12 News , "In order to prevent war, you must put pressure on Iran to make Hezbollah withdraw its forces beyond the Litani [River]. The window of opportunity is closing. Act quickly. Israel is not ready to accept the situation where the residents of the north cannot return to their homes." Earlier this week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the northern border and held an operational situation assessment. “We are achieving readiness on land and in the air, strengthening our intelligence systems and preparing for every scenario. We must all remember that Hezbollah started a war against us on October 8th, a day after Hamas [attacked Israel], and since then, it has not stopped [attacking Israel]. We have an obligation to change the situation in the north and to ensure the safe return of our citizens to their homes, and we will find a way to achieve this,” Gallant said. Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered an address in Lebanon during which he threatened Israel. “The Lebanon front prevented enemy forces from participating in Gaza, some of which were elite forces because the enemy fears that the resistance (Hezbollah) will invade the Galilee, which remains on the table if a confrontation develops,” Nasrallah threatened. Related articles: Liberal Party drops candidate over praise of Hamas and Hezbollah Survey reveals alarming antisemitism in British Columbia Toronto man charged with 29 offenses, including hate crimes Winnipeg man charged with terror after antisemitic graffiti spree The Hezbollah leader claimed that Israel does not acknowledge its losses on the northern front so as not to put pressure on the government and Netanyahu. He noted that among the achievements of Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel is "the displacement of settlers, and the disruption of industry, agriculture, and tourism in the north because of the status it represents. "The enemy is afraid that things will spiral into war, and this is what has a strong impact on the Gaza front and forces it to economize on ammunition,” he added. (Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
