Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called on Canadian citizens in Lebanon to get out “while they can" in what could be a prelude to a war between Israel and the Hezbollah terrorist organization. “The security situation in Lebanon is becoming increasingly volatile and unpredictable due to sustained and escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel and could deteriorate further without warning,” Joly said. On Friday, Israel's Channel 12 News reported that Joly had 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. 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. 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 terrorist organization began firing rockets, mortars, and drones at northern Israel soon after Hamas carried out the October 7 massacre and has continuously attacked the Jewish state in the eight and a half months since the war with Hamas began. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been forced to evacuate from their homes and communities in northern Israel as a result of the continuous bombardment from Hezbollah. In recent weeks, speculation has run rampant that a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah is imminent as Israel considers its options on how to bring Hezbollah's attacks to an end and restore security to that the residents of the north can return to their homes. Hezbollah is considered a far more powerful military force than Hamas. It possesses about 150,000 rockets and missiles, including many Iranian-provided long-range and precision-guided missiles that can strike all of Israel. In addition, should a war break out, Iran and Syria may provide up to tens of thousands of additional soldiers for Hezbollah.
