G7 countries meet to discuss Iran's attack on Israel

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OTTAWA – Canada and other G7 nations are expected to meet on Sunday to discuss a possible response to Iran's overnight attack on Israel.

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

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Iran has fired about 300 rockets and drones at targets inside Israel, but Israeli officials say the country and its allies managed to slightly damage about 99 percent of them. Iran then announced the end of the operation.

Minister of Defense Bill Blair said on Sunday Xpreviously on Twitter, it received regular updates from the Canadian Forces and “will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

Canada's political parties were united in their condemnation of Iran after the attack.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada “unequivocally condemns” the attack in a region embroiled in a six-month war between Israel and Hamas.

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“These attacks demonstrate once again the Iranian regime's disregard for peace and stability in the region,” Trudeau said in a statement released shortly after the attack. “We support Israel's right to defend itself and its people against these attacks.

Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated after an airstrike blamed on Israel destroyed Iran's consulate in Syria and killed two Iranian generals. Tehran vowed revenge.

Israel closed its airspace on Saturday in anticipation of Iranian attacks, and booms and air raid sirens were heard across the country early Sunday.

Israeli army spokesman General Daniel Hagari said Iran had fired numerous drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, the vast majority of which were intercepted outside Israel's borders. He said warplanes intercepted more than 10 cruise missiles outside Israeli airspace alone.

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A handful have already landed in Israel, he said.

U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they shot down some of the missiles on their way.

In Washington, Biden said US forces had helped Israel shoot down “almost all” of the drones and missiles and vowed to call on allies for a unified response. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the British Air Force had shot down several Iranian drones.

Biden later said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I told him that Israel has demonstrated the ability to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks, which sends a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel's security,” Biden said.

The US and its allies have sent direct messages to Tehran to prevent escalation of the conflict.

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Israel and Iran have clashed throughout Israel's six-month war against Hamas militants in Gaza.

On October 7, the Iran-backed Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants killed 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 in Israel in an attack that sparked the current war. Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza caused widespread destruction and killed more than 33,000 people, according to local health officials.

Ottawa has faced pressure in recent months to designate a branch of Iran's military, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist organization.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilevre 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 released Saturday.

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh condemned the “significant escalation of Iran's attack on Israel.”

“Many innocent people have been killed in the region – this is unacceptable,” wrote Singh X. “Canada must do everything it can to de-escalate the situation.”

International criticism of Iran's escalation was swift, with the United Nations secretary-general calling for an “immediate end to these wars.”

Israel's ambassador to Canada thanked Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie for their words of support.

“Israel will continue to defend itself against hostile attacks by Iran and all its proxies in the region. “Iran is trying to destabilize the region and we thank our allies for supporting these developments,” Iddo Moed said in a statement.

— With Associated Press files

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