Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for peace in the Middle East on Saturday, denouncing the civilian death toll that he blamed on Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel.
But Trudeau stopped short of explicitly condemning Israel for starting a ground war days after the Israeli army crossed the border into southern Lebanon.
“We need to see peace in the region,” Trudeau said from Paris, where he is attending the final day of the Francophonie summit.
The Meeting of Leaders of Francophone Countries is held every two years to promote and protect the French language and culture throughout the world.
But the war in the Middle East was a dominant factor at this year’s meeting, especially since Lebanon is one of the organization’s 88 member states.
Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie is scheduled to meet in Paris with Trudeau and a minister in the Lebanese government later Saturday.
Violence in the region has escalated in recent weeks, almost a year after the Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the latest war with Hamas in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 others were taken hostage in the attack on October 7, 2023. Gaza health authorities say nearly 42,000 people were killed in Gaza over the past year.
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Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire across the Lebanese border on an almost daily basis last year.
In late September, Israel intensified its air strikes targeting Hezbollah targets on the outskirts of Beirut, which local health officials say killed nearly 2,000 people. Israel also began a ground incursion last week.
Iran, which helps arm and finance Hamas and Hezbollah, fired at least 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, an attack that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday was a “shining” act for Iran’s armed forces. He said they would do it again if necessary.
Trudeau condemned Iranian missile attacks last week, but when asked Saturday whether he condemned Israel for moving troops overland into Lebanon, he did not use the word.
“The terrorist organizations, Hezbollah and Hamas, have caused countless deaths, and so has Israel’s response,” he said in response.
“We need to make sure that we see de-escalation and we need to continue to hold Iran accountable for its behind-the-scenes financing and organizing of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”
Trudeau said Israel has a legitimate right to respond to Iranian attacks, “but at the same time, we have to be conscious about not allowing the situation to deteriorate, not allowing or seeing a further escalation of violence or the spread of conflict through the region.”
Trudeau said peace includes a two-state solution for both Israel and the Palestinian state.
Jolie said on Saturday that about 1,000 Canadians have now managed to flee the violence on Canadian-chartered flights from Beirut to Istanbul.
She added that more flights were added on Monday and Tuesday.
Canada believes approximately 45,000 citizens and their close family members were in Lebanon when violence began to escalate last month. Jolie said 6,000 Canadians have registered to obtain more information about the flights offered.
However, many seats are not filled when registrars are called back and presented with a ticket. Julie said she knew things were tough but implored people to take a seat if they were offered one.
Trudeau was asked how safe it is to ask people to do so, in light of the airstrike near Beirut airport on Friday and the deaths of the two Canadians as they tried to flee violence in southern Lebanon on Sept. 23.
“The risks in the region have been known for a long time, which is why we have been urging Canadians over the past months to get out of Lebanon,” Trudeau said.
“The tragedy of the two Canadians who were killed weighs heavily on us but we know we need to continue to provide opportunities for people to leave to safety and we will continue to do that work.”
He also said that critical infrastructure including the port and airport in Beirut should not be targeted.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
