By Canadian Press

Canada booking seats on flights out of Lebanon as violence escalates

Sep 27, 2024 | 1:57 PM

OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada began booking blocks of seats on the few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon on Friday as it issued another urgent plea for any Canadians in the country to leave immediately.

“Please prioritize your safety,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement on X Friday afternoon.

Joly and Defence Minister Bill Blair have been asking Canadians in Lebanon to leave for months as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated.

On Thursday, Blair said there were still many commercial flight options available, but by Friday those were quickly evaporating.

People are struggling to find seats and Global Affairs Canada is taking the step of pre-booking seats to try and help as many Canadians as possible. The flights could be going to any destination, and passengers would be responsible for finding their own way to Canada.

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Joly said earlier this week it’s believed about 45,000 Canadians were in Lebanon, even though only about half that number have registered officially with the embassy in Beirut.

Joly had not yet announced Canada’s move to begin helping citizens secure seats on flights out of Beirut, but a federal official confirmed the plan to The Canadian Press as it began to unfold.

Passengers will bear the cost of the flights themselves, though the official said loans are available for people who don’t immediately have the funds.

Canadians in Lebanon are asked to use the email me-mo.sos@international.gc.ca to get information and secure one of the available seats.

The federal government and the military have been working on plans for a possible evacuation of Canadian citizens from Lebanon for months, but the government is urging people to leave on their own before that is needed.

Airlines have begun cancelling flights after an escalation of airstrikes by the Israeli military. Lebanon’s health ministry said Friday more than 720 people have been killed in the last week in airstrikes that Israel said are targeting Hezbollah’s military capabilities to stop its airstrikes into northern Israel.

The most powerful strikes yet destroyed six buildings in suburban Beirut on Friday as the Israeli military said it struck the central headquarters of Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to the United Nations and flew back to Israel after vowing before the General Assembly that Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah would continue despite loud calls for a ceasefire from allies including the United States and Canada.

All G7 nations, along with Australia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates jointly asked Israel and Hezbollah for a 21-day ceasefire to allow for a diplomatic solution to the war.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.

— With files from The Associated Press

Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press