Canada ends evacuation flights out of Israel and turns attention to possible Lebanon rescue
With Israel rescue flights now over, Ottawa is now preparing for another much larger possible evacuation in Lebanon.
About 16,500 Canadians in Lebanon have registered with the government as conflict intensifies
The last planned Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) evacuation flight from Israel left Monday as the federal government wound down one evacuation operation while preparing for another one.
Ottawa is now planning for the prospect of another, much larger evacuation effort in Lebanon, which could be dragged into the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Canada has so far helped about 1,600 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and eligible family members leave Israel, along with a number of foreign nationals. There have been 19 such “assisted departure” flights out of Tel Aviv over the last 10 days, says Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
In Lebanon, meanwhile, roughly 16,500 citizens have so far registered with the government — suggesting the number of people who may need help fleeing Lebanon could be ten times the number Ottawa pulled out of Israel.
And the registration numbers don’t tell the whole story. An estimated 40,000 to 75,000 Canadians
