Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Iran's attack on Israel

Content of the article

OTTAWA — Canada “unequivocally condemns” Iran's attacks on Israel, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday night as tensions between the two countries escalated and pushed the Middle East closer to regional war.

Trudeau's announcement came after Iranian state media reported that Tehran had fired ballistic missiles at targets inside Israel on Saturday, in what was Iran's direct military attack on the country.

Content of the article

Content of the article

“These attacks once again show the Iranian regime's disregard for peace and stability in the region. We support Israel's right to defend itself and its people against these attacks,” Trudeau said during a dinner in the parliamentary press gallery.

He said he receives regular updates from the national security and intelligence adviser, the chief of defense staff and the head of the Privy Council.

Quebec should end its diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv, the Parti Quebecois said, a day before Iran attacked the Jewish state.

At a press scrum at the PQ National Council in Drummondville on Sunday morning, MP Pascal Paradis called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East region. He reiterated that the CAQ government's opening of a Quebec office in Tel Aviv in the midst of the conflict in Gaza sends the wrong signal to the entire region.

The conflict between the two countries escalated after an airstrike that destroyed Iran's consulate in Syria and killed two Iranian generals, which Israel blamed. Tehran vowed revenge.

Canada and other G7 nations are expected to meet on Sunday to discuss possible responses to Iran's attack on Israel on Saturday.

Content of the article

Content of the article

US President Joe Biden said he would convene a meeting of the Group of Seven advanced democracies today to coordinate a united diplomatic response to the attack, which he described as brazen.

Iran fired nearly 300 missiles and drones at targets in Israel on Saturday, but Israeli officials say the country and its allies intercepted 99 percent of them and suffered few casualties. Iran then announced the end of the operation.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Jolie said Friday that Canadians should avoid traveling to Israel because of the risk.

Canadians who remain in Israel should leave in a “commercial way,” he said.

Opposition Leader Pierre Polievre said Canada must work with its allies to hold Iran accountable.

“The Canadian government must immediately ban the Tehran-controlled terrorist group, the IRGC, to protect our people and to stop the regime from using our country for fundraising, planning and coordination,” he said in a written statement.

The federal government has come under pressure in recent months to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran's military, as a terrorist organization.

Content of the article

NDP MP Heather Macpherson, her party's foreign affairs critic, said Canadians are “concerned about the human toll of a regional war.”

“Only diplomacy will solve this. Canada and the international community must de-escalate this crisis now,” he wrote on the X page, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, Air Canada has canceled its Saturday flight to Tel Aviv. The airline operates four non-stop flights per week from Toronto to Tel Aviv. The next one is scheduled for Monday.

“We have also implemented a flexible rebooking policy for customers and will continue to monitor the situation in the region and adjust our schedule accordingly,” the spokesperson said.

Content of the article