Close X
Friday, September 20, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadians urged to leave Lebanon as flights cancelled amid growing tensions

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 02 Aug, 2024 10:17 AM
  • Canadians urged to leave Lebanon as flights cancelled amid growing tensions

Lara Salameh was supposed to be flying out of Beirut Thursday en route to Montreal with her husband and two daughters, but the night before, their flight was cancelled. She said Air France told her service out of the Lebanese capital was suspended because of the unstable security situation — one that Ottawa has been warning Canadians about as fears of war between Israel and Hezbollah grow.

Salameh is one of the 21,399 Canadians registered as being in Lebanon, a country the Canadian government is urging its citizens to leave. It says they can’t rely on government evacuation flights if war engulfs Lebanon.

Canada has been planning since October for a possible evacuation of its citizens and sent military personnel to Lebanon and Cyprus in preparation.

Salameh hopes that her rescheduled flight on Aug. 10 will take off as planned, but she has no regrets. Travelling to her native country is more than a vacation, she said in an interview Thursday from Beirut. It is a chance for her children to spend time with their elderly grandparents, some of whom are ill.

“We expected that we might get stuck here, but we came anyways for family,” the Laval-Que. resident said, adding that the turmoil in the Middle East did make her hesitate before booking the trip this year.

“You can't leave your parents. They're getting old and we need to see them.”

The fear that her young daughters might witness violence does cause some concern, she said, but so far she has not personally seen any sign of conflict. If the situation does sour, she said, she can take refuge with family who live in the northern part of the country.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has urged Canadians in the country to fly back to Canada immediately.

“If you are in Lebanon, come back home. If tensions escalate, the situation on the ground may not allow us to help you, and you won’t be able to leave,” Joly posted on X on Wednesday. The Canadian government noted that some airlines have already suspended service to Beirut. "Additional travel disruptions are likely, including airspace closures and flight cancellations and diversions," it said on X.

Hezbollah’s leader warned Thursday that the conflict with Israel has entered a “new phase,” as he addressed mourners at the funeral of a commander from the group who was killed by an Israeli airstrike this week in Beirut. Israel alleges the commander was behind a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 young people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but Hezbollah has denied the charge.

Not all Canadians in Lebanon are scrambling to get back, however.

Stephani Moukhaiber was born in Lebanon and returned there from Montreal last year after being laid off from her job. She said Thursday she has no intention of fleeing Lebanon, even as tensions rise.

Moukhaiber is a Canadian citizen, and she has been receiving regular messages from the Canadian government warning her to leave while flights are still available. “I'm not going to lie. I did have a moment of insecurity where I was like, 'Yeah, maybe I should go back,'" she said in a phone interview.

But she said the atmosphere where she lives in the mountains outside Beirut is calm, in part because locals have lived through many conflicts in recent decades, including a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

And Moukhaiber, who traces some of her roots to the Palestinian territories, cannot forgive Canada for its stance in the Israel-Hamas war. She said she does not want to return to Canada because she feels the country is not doing enough to stop Gazans from being killed.

“I'd rather be here in a state of war than be in a country that doesn't believe in my existence or (my) right to exist,” she said.

MORE National ARTICLES

Team chosen to design eight-lane replacement for B.C.'s Massey tunnel

Team chosen to design eight-lane replacement for B.C.'s Massey tunnel
A team has been selected to design a new eight-lane tunnel to replace the aging George Massey Tunnel under the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver, with British Columbia's transportation minister calling it a "huge step" for the project. Rob Fleming says the selection of the preferred proponent for the tunnel project, Cross Fraser Partnership, means design plans can now be finalized.

Team chosen to design eight-lane replacement for B.C.'s Massey tunnel

Another body found in English Bay

Another body found in English Bay
Vancouver police say two women have been found dead in English Bay since Sunday, and they're wondering if the pair are somehow linked. The V-P-D says one woman's body washed up on shore near the Kitsilano Yacht Club on Monday, but it's not known how she died or whether or not it was a crime. 

Another body found in English Bay

Storms with high winds, possible hailstones expected to fan flames of B.C. wildfires

Storms with high winds, possible hailstones expected to fan flames of B.C. wildfires
British Columbia's wildfire service says a significant change in the weather could cause another burst of wildfire activity, with extensive thunderstorms expected in the north and parts of the south following weeks of hot and dry weather. A bulletin from the service says B.C. saw thousands of lightning strikes over the weekend, mostly in the north, with more in the forecast.

Storms with high winds, possible hailstones expected to fan flames of B.C. wildfires

Wildfire replacement documents coming for citizens and PR's

Wildfire replacement documents coming for citizens and PR's
Miller says the replacement documents include permanent resident cards, Canadian citizenship certificates, passports and other travel documents that were lost, damaged or destroyed by wildfires. The special measures are in place until November 30th of this year.

Wildfire replacement documents coming for citizens and PR's

Homicide investigators looking for info for Surrey teen's body found last week

Homicide investigators looking for info for Surrey teen's body found last week
Homicide investigators say they want to speak with anyone who may know more about a 17-year-old who was found dead in Surrey last week.  Police say they’ve determined the death of Michael Zhao has no connections to the B-C gang conflict and it appears to be an isolated death.

Homicide investigators looking for info for Surrey teen's body found last week

Calgary's restrictions on sprinkler and water hose use to remain until further notice

Calgary's restrictions on sprinkler and water hose use to remain until further notice
Calgary's outdoor water restrictions will remain in place for now. The city has been cautiously testing the water system in recent days, and says there were issues at both water treatment plants, including pumps at water intakes.

Calgary's restrictions on sprinkler and water hose use to remain until further notice