The Canadian military has dispatched a group of elite soldiers to Israel to evacuate Canadian citizens en masse if deemed necessary, says the Department of National Defence (DND).
“In support of Global Affairs Canada, CAF personnel from Canadian Special Operations Forces Command are assisting the Canadian embassy in Israel with contingency planning,” a DND spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email statement.
DND says the potential for escalating hostilities in the region, including at the Israel-Lebanon border, has led Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to request support from the military.
This is to “ensure a rapid response should the security situation rapidly deteriorate and support for the evacuation of Canadians is required,” says DND.
The Canadian government says that six Canadians have been killed and two others have gone missing since Hamas conducted a raid inside Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people. Hamas has taken over 200 hostages.
Ottawa has not acknowledged that Canadians have been taken hostage, but the son of one presumed hostage, Vivian Singer, has expressed concerns that Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza could end the chance of his mother being brought home safely.
“I don’t know how much power Canada has, but it seems like they’re very much invested in doing everything they can,” Yonatan Zeigen said.
DND has not indicated any role for JTF-2 in the hostage rescue, but the U.S. Pentagon confirmed its special operations forces are in Israel in that capacity.
Cyprus
Along with sending military personnel to Israel, Canada has also established a task force in Cyprus to help with the potential evacuation of Canadian citizens and permanent residents located in Lebanon. DND says 300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been deployed for this effort.GAC has sent a message to Canadians in Lebanon via diaspora media, telling them to “Get out while you can” and to not rely on the government for evacuation.
“The best time to leave a country is before a crisis if at all possible. They should leave by commercial means now if they can do so safely.”
There have been skirmishes between Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah since Oct. 7, but no wider hostilities.
While both are backed by Iran, Hezbollah is much better equipped than Hamas, with precision missiles and armed drones. It also has a battle-tested ground force which as propped-up the Assad regime since early in the Syrian civil war.
