The Canadian government says it decided to pull its diplomats’ children and their guardians out of Israel, amid fears over an expanded Mideast war.
Global Affairs Canada says it has approved the temporary relocation of the children and their guardians to a safe third country.
Embassy staff are expected to remain in Israel.
“The Embassy of Canada to Israel in Tel Aviv, the Embassy of Canada to Lebanon in Beirut, and the Representative Office of Canada to the Palestinian Authority, all remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Canadians, including consular services,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Diplomats stationed in nearby Ramallah in the West Bank and in Beirut, Lebanon, do not have dependents living with them.
“Staff at our missions in Lebanon and Ramallah remain in place and are being regularly updated on the ongoing situation and the measures Global Affairs Canada is taking,” the department said.
Tensions in the Middle East have sparked fears about an all-out war after the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’s top political leader in Iran.