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Canada condemns Israel’s “illegal invasion” of Lebanon as a violation of territorial sovereignty, Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
Using stronger language than his government has to date, Carney also called for a ceasefire to end the worsening conflict as Israeli ground troops move deeper into the country.
“It’s an illegal invasion,” the prime minister said. “It’s a violation of their territorial sovereignty.”
He made the comments when speaking with reporters at a news conference in Wakefield, Que., on Tuesday.
“From a practical perspective, the government of Lebanon has banned Hezbollah, is trying to take action against Hezbollah and their terrorist activities and their threats to Israel,” Carney said.
“That is the reported justification for this invasion. So, we condemn it.”
WATCH | Carney condemns Israel’s ‘illegal invasion’ of Lebanon:
Carney condemns Israel’s ‘illegal invasion’ of Lebanon
Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned Israel’s invasion of Lebanon on Tuesday, amid a nearly month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah. ‘It’s an invasion of Lebanon, it’s a violation of their territorial sovereignty,’ Carney said.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said in a social media post it is “deeply concerned” by Carney’s comments, given that Hezbollah is a “terrorist proxy of the Iranian regime and a global threat.”
“The government of Lebanon has repeatedly demonstrated that it is either unable or unwilling to rein [the group] in — failing to meet its pledge to disarm Hezbollah by the end of 2025,” the post said.
“Civilians in northern Israel cannot be expected to live indefinitely under the constant threat of Iranian-backed missile fire.”
The war in the Middle East widened when Hezbollah launched missiles toward Israel on March 2, two days after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran.
Israel and Hezbollah blame each other for the hostilities. Ottawa had called on both sides to de-escalate.
On March 16, in a joint statement with France, Germany, Italy and the U.K., Canada called on Hezbollah to cease its attacks on civilians and immediately disarm.
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have been displaced by the escalating war and evacuation orders have emptied out many villages and neighbourhoods.
Three peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) died after an explosion destroyed their vehicle in southern Lebanon, prompting the UN Security Council to call an emergency session Tuesday.
The UN says Canada has provided five military observers to the UN Truce Supervision Organization, which is headquartered in Jerusalem.
Those military observers can also be deployed to Lebanon, where the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission takes place, or to the Golan Heights.
National Defence and Global Affairs Canada have refused to say where Canadian observers are deployed to in the Middle East or how many are currently on the ground, citing security and safety concerns.
