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The Canadian government said on Tuesday it was alarmed by the increase in violence and attacks in Lebanon, as the Middle East war escalates.
“We condemn attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon] workers, which is unacceptable,” said Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in a series of posts on social media.
Canada has pledged solidarity with the people of Lebanon, who they say have been “involuntarily involved” in the conflict.
The Israeli army raided areas south of the capital Beirut on Tuesday, and its troops moved deeper into the south of the country.
Canada is deeply alarmed by Lebanon’s dangerous escalation. We condemn the attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and UNIFIL personnel, which are unacceptable.
Lebanon was plunged into war last week, when Iran-backed Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s top leader.
Israel has since launched airstrikes in the south, east and Beirut, killing nearly 570 people, according to a report by the Lebanese government’s disaster management unit on Tuesday.
The protection of civilians throughout the region must be a priority, the GAC said, calling on all parties to “uphold international humanitarian law and prevent mass migration.”
CBC News spoke to two Canadians with ties to Lebanon about how they feel as the war continues.
The Canadian lives in Lebanon, for now
Christy Mady told CBC News that she lives in Lebanon for now, despite being able to see and hear the explosions in Beirut from her home.e. A Canadian professor teaches at Notre Dame University-Louaize in central Lebanon.
“I am teaching and I am determined to finish this semester,” he said from his home in Sehaileh, “Because I am far from immediate danger, I want to live with my students here.”
Mady said her classes have been moved online and even though Ottawa has offered her a seat on the plane out of Beirut, she won’t go unless she feels she’s in danger.
He admitted that it is difficult for his students – some have been expelled; others have friends and family in the target areas – but he said they still come to class, do homework and study for tests.
“I’m also someone from the war generation in Lebanon, and we did that,” he said. “We want education to continue so that they don’t end up losing their year.”
Lebanese authorities say more than 750,000 people have been displaced.
Lebanon’s Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayed said on Tuesday that the country was preparing for more migration than in 2024, when the last war between Israel and Hezbollah forced more than a million people from their homes, with fewer resources to help.
“Our traditional partners and friends in the Gulf are also under pressure,” he told Reuters. “Therefore, we urge the international community to be with us right now to help stabilize the situation in terms of humanitarian needs.”
Watching from a distance
Watching what is happening in her home country from afar is especially difficult for Jenny Majzoub, who came to Canada about 12 years ago and now lives in Victoria.
Between 200,000 and 400,000 Lebanese live in Canada, the government says.
Majzoub told CBC News that his heart is “in two places,” as his family is very close to violence and there is nothing he can do to help them. He said the decisions taken by the government and the military affect innocent people.
“The people there are just affected by fear, insecurity and uncertainty,” he said. He has two nephews under the age of six in Lebanon, and he knows the effects of war on a child. He was in that country in 2006 when Hezbollah and Israel fought a 34-day war.
“I was about 13 at the time and I’m still traumatized by what I went through then, so I can’t imagine my nieces and nephews going through that – they can’t go to their schools and live a life.”
Jenny Majzoub was 13 years old when she lived through the 2006 war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel. Now in Victoria, she says she is watching with ‘great anxiety and uncertainty’ as Israeli warplanes attack Lebanon, where her parents and other family members still live, as part of their US-led offensive against Iran.
Twenty years later, the two sides are still fighting. Israel wants Hezbollah to fully disarm. Hezbollah refused.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on the fighting in Lebanon on Wednesday morning.
France called this meeting with the support of other European members of the council, who expressed great concern about the escalating violence in Lebanon.
The French Foreign Ministry urged Hezbollah to “end its operations and hand over its weapons” and to Israel “to avoid any ground-based or long-term intervention in Lebanon.”
