CMEDIA: Canadians are reportedly being urged by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to avoid all travel to 10 countries amid a widening conflict in the Middle East.
GAC also said over 85,000 Canadians and permanent residents are currently registered as being in the region
The US and Israel began strikes on Iran on Saturday targeting the country’s leadership, and later confirming Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death
Since then Retaliatory strikes have widened the conflict in the region.
According to GAC, as of Monday morning, there are 2,932 Canadians and permanent residents in Iran and 6,006 in Israel and the federal government is not aware of any Canadians who have been injured or killed as a result of the hostilities.
These numbers are just an estimate as registration being voluntary and some people may have already left the region.
“Canada condemns the strikes carried out by Iran on civilian infrastructure…These attacks are a dangerous threat to regional stability and civilian safety… represent an unacceptable escalation and a blatant attempt to further destabilize the region…Attacks that endanger civilians and civilian infrastructure are deeply concerning and must cease immediately,” reads a statement from the federal government.
The statement adds that Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has been in touch with several of her counterparts, including in Kuwait, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Jordan, the United Kingdom and Qatar.
The federal government is urging Canadians in the Middle East to register with GAC in order to receive updates about travel advisories.
Speaking to reporters in India on Saturday, Anand said non-essential diplomatic staff in Tel Aviv have been asked to relocate, but not elsewhere in the region.
According to GAC, Canadian mission staff in the Middle East are “safe and accounted for.”
To respond to emergency situations, the agency is also deploying members of the Standing Rapid Deployment Team— employees on standby — to the region to assist in a handful of countries, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Jordan, Turkmenistan and Türkiye.
She also reiterated the information provided online by GAC, urging Canadians to register with the agency, and warning to avoid all travel to both Israel and Iran.
Canadians are also advised to avoid all travel to several other Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, and also being cautioned to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Consular services during “active conflict” is “limited,” GAC warned and added that staff is prioritizing essential services and Canadians and permanent residents in affected countries are being advised to “prepare contingency plans” independently of the federal government.
