MUMBAI, India – Canada is asking some of its staff in Tel Aviv to relocate as Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran early Saturday.
“We have asked non-essential staff to relocate from Tel Aviv because of the heightened security situation,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, who made the comments from Mumbai, India, just before news broke that Israel launched what they call a “preemptive” attack on Iran.
At the time, Anand said that advice is not in place for diplomats elsewhere in the Middle East, though that could change.
Hours before the first strikes were reported in the Irani capital of Tehran, Anand shared a post on social media suggested Canadians in the Middle East should “remain vigilant, monitor local and international media, and follow the instructions of local authorities, including any orders to shelter in place.”
“Canadians in Israel, Lebanon and Palestine should consider leaving while commercial options remain available,” Anand wrote, adding that the federal government’s ability to “provide consular services to Canadians during an active conflict is likely to be limited” and that Canadians should come up with contingency plans that don’t rely on government aid.
Anand says any Canadians in Iran “should leave now, if they can do so safely,” and that Canada no longer has a diplomatic presence in the country, making consular assistance for anyone who needs it even more challenging.
The U.S. government reportedly advised any of its diplomatic staff in Israel who want to leave to do so now.
Anand told reporters Saturday she last spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Iran on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, but did not elaborate on the conversation.