Canada warns against travel to Middle East

HAMILTON, Canada

Canada urged its citizens Tuesday to avoid travel to several parts of the Middle East as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran, noting that over 82,000 Canadians are currently registered in the region.

"According to the Registration of Canadians Abroad service, there are over 82,000 registrants in the Middle East, including over 4,000 in Iran and over 6,600 in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," said a statement by Global Affairs Canada.

However, the government cautioned that "the number of Canadians registered in a destination does not represent the actual number of Canadians currently there," as the system is voluntary and may include outdated or inaccurate information.

"To date, Global Affairs Canada has received no reports of Canadians injured or deceased related to recent escalations in the region," the statement added.

However, “the government of Canada continues to closely monitor the rapidly evolving tensions between Israel and Iran,” it said.

As a preventative measure, Canada temporarily relocated four non-critical diplomatic personnel and 20 dependents from its missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah to a safe third country on June 16.

Urging all Canadians against travelling to Iran, Iraq, Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Jordan, Canada further called on all parties to "refrain from actions that further destabilize the region."

"We are concerned by the escalating hostilities and its impact on civilians," it added.

Canada also reaffirmed its support for diplomatic efforts, saying that "negotiations remain the most effective and sustainable path to addressing concerns around Iran's nuclear activities."

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities said at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.

Iran said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in the Israeli assault.