عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Trudeau Urges Canadians to Leave Lebanon, Citing ‘Real’ Risk of Escalation

A Middle East Airlines (MEA) plane departs from Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 12 August 2024. (EPA)
A Middle East Airlines (MEA) plane departs from Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 12 August 2024. (EPA)
TT
TT

Trudeau Urges Canadians to Leave Lebanon, Citing ‘Real’ Risk of Escalation

A Middle East Airlines (MEA) plane departs from Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 12 August 2024. (EPA)
A Middle East Airlines (MEA) plane departs from Beirut-Rafik Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon, 12 August 2024. (EPA)

There is a real risk of escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, and Canadians should leave Lebanon while possible because Ottawa may not be able to evacuate everyone if the situation worsens, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.

"We see that the risk of escalation is real, the challenges in the region are significant," Trudeau told reporters in Ontario.

"We are making certain preparations to be able to support in the event that everything gets much, much worse, but the situation is so difficult that we may not be able to get all Canadians out."

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Syrian Youth Will Resist Incoming Government

A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)
A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)
TT
TT

Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Syrian Youth Will Resist Incoming Government

A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)
A defaced portrait of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seen in Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024 (issued 22 December 2024). (EPA)

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday said that young Syrians will resist the new government emerging after the overthrow of President Bashar sl-Assad as he again accused the United States and Israel of sowing chaos in the country.

Iran had provided crucial support to Assad throughout Syria's nearly 14-year civil war, which erupted after he launched a violent crackdown on a popular uprising against his family's decades-long rule. Syria had long served as a key conduit for Iranian aid to Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said in an address on Sunday that the “young Syrian has nothing to lose" and suffers from insecurity following Assad's fall.

“What can he do? He should stand with strong will against those who designed and those who implemented the insecurity," Khamenei said. “God willing, he will overcome them.”

He accused the United States and Israel of plotting against Assad's government in order to seize resources, saying: “Now they feel victory, the Americans, the Zionist regime and those who accompanied them.”

Iran and its armed proxies in the region have suffered a series of major setbacks over the past year, with Israel battering Hamas in Gaza and landing heavy blows on Hezbollah before they agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon last month.

Khamenei denied that such groups were proxies of Iran, saying they fought because of their own beliefs and that Tehran did not depend on them. “If one day we plan to take action, we do not need proxy force,” he said.