Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Thursday she will travel to Türkiye in the coming days to meet Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for talks on the escalating conflict in the Middle East and efforts to reduce tensions.
Anand said at a news conference that she will be "emphasizing and pushing on the needs of Canadians in the region, as well as the need for de-escalation and the protection of civilian lives and civilian infrastructure.”
Her remarks came as Canada announced new humanitarian funding for Lebanon.
Randeep Sarai, Canada’s secretary of state for international development, said Ottawa is providing $37.7 million in assistance to support urgent humanitarian needs.
Canada is working with "trusted humanitarian partners, including Canadian NGOs, such as Humanity and Inclusion Canada, Oxfam Quebec, International Medical Corps Canada, U.N. agencies and the Red Cross to ensure this life saving assistance goes directly to those who desperately need it,” he said. "We call on all actors to immediately de-escalate the situation and engage in constructive dialogue to prevent further suffering. The people of Lebanon deserve safety, dignity and a future free from violence."
The escalation in the Middle East flared since Israel and the U.S. launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 victims to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and over 150 schoolgirls.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military assets, killing at least eight U.S. service members and injuring 140.
On March 2, the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah, began attacking Israeli military sites in response to repeated Israeli attacks against Lebanon and the killing of Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli strike.
Israel retaliated by launching a military campaign against Lebanon, carrying out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in the south and east. On March 3, it began a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
