Canada pledges $37M for Lebanon civilian aid as Israel, Hezbollah fight – National

The Carney government is promising more than $37 million in humanitarian aid for civilians in Lebanon caught in the crossfire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We call on all actors to immediately de-escalate the situation and engage in constructive dialogue to prevent further suffering,” said Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development.

He made the announcement Thursday on Parliament Hill alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand and Immigration Minister Lena Diab.

The government says the funding will go through United Nations agencies and the Red Cross to provide food, medical services, shelter and clean water. Sarai said the funding also will be channelled through the Canadian branches of International Medical Corps and Humanity and Inclusion, and Oxfam Quebec.

“This conflict has placed enormous strain on the Lebanese people, who have unwillingly been drawn into the violence,” Anand said.

The UN says nearly 700,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by the hostilities that started in late February when the U.S. launched its war alongside Israel against Iran. Lebanese authorities estimate that number at 800,000 people.

In a news release, Global Affairs Canada said the recent hostilities have disrupted medical care, “with attacks affecting health workers and ambulances, damaging medical facilities and forcing the closure of hospitals and primary care centres due to evacuation orders and the security situation.”

Israel and Hezbollah blame each other for the renewed hostilities and Ottawa has said both sides must wind down the violence while respecting Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

“Canada supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Diab said. “This partnership is unshakable and will continue.”

Those statements come following comments from Israeli and American officials about Israel taking control of a wider swath of the Middle East.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Thursday the country will expand its military operations in Lebanon following the largest attack yet by Hezbollah in the Iran war. He said that Israel “will take the territory and do it ourselves.”

Before the recent surge in violence and the Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon was already grappling with an economic crisis and waves of missile exchanges between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Anand said she will visit Turkey this weekend as part of Canada’s push to de-escalate conflict in the Middle East.

— With files from The Associated Press

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