Merve Aydogan
15 April 2026•Update: 15 April 2026
Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Tuesday spoke with her Lebanese counterpart Youssef Rajji to discuss the security and humanitarian situation in Lebanon.
"This morning, I spoke with my Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Rajji, to discuss the current security and humanitarian situation in Lebanon," Anand said on US social media platform X, adding that she had expressed “Canada’s solidarity with the Lebanese people and offered my condolences for the tragic loss of far too many civilian lives, including that of a Canadian.”
Anand reiterated Canada's support “for the Lebanese government’s efforts to restore and fully exercise state authority.”
She also pointed to the $37.7 million in humanitarian aid for Lebanon unveiled alongside Secretary of State Randeep Sarai.
"Canada will continue to support the Lebanese people," Anand said, noting the aid package as a demonstration of Ottawa's ongoing commitment to civilians amid the deepening humanitarian crisis.
The US, Israel, and Lebanon agreed to begin direct negotiations following a trilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, according to a statement after the meeting.
The meeting, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and attended by Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh and Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter, included “productive discussions” on steps toward initiating direct talks, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in the statement.
The talks, the first direct diplomatic engagement between the two countries in more than 30 years, came as Israel continues an air and ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon since the Iran war, which came to a halt on April 8 after Pakistan mediated a two-week ceasefire.
