A Canadian official has condemned what he called Israel’s “unlawful invasion” of Lebanon BEIRUT -- A Canadian government official condemned what he called Israel’s “unlawful invasion” of Lebanon, saying Beirut should govern its own space and have sovereignty over its lands. Randeep Sarai, Canada’s Secretary of State for International Development, visited Lebanon to announce new humanitarian aid to the crisis-hit country, where the U.N. says some 360,000 people remain displaced as a result of the latest conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The latest Israel-Hezbollah war started when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel began attacks on Iran.
The war has killed over 4,000 people, caused wide destruction in southern Lebanon and at one point displaced over 1 million people. Israel launched a ground invasion and is now occupying dozens of towns and villages in southern Lebanon, many of which have been almost completely demolished. Israeli officials have said they will not pull out from Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.
Canada has criticized Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. It lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and has condemned its attacks on Israel. During his visit, Sarai announced that Canada is launching three new programs in Lebanon to support vulnerable families and women, raising the total of its assistance to the nation so far this year to more than 71 million Canadian dollars ($50.23 million.) Canada, which is home to a large Lebanese diaspora, has given Lebanon about 800 million Canadian dollars ($575 million) in assistance over the past 10 years, including nearly $38 million in funding in March to provide basic necessities such as food, medical and health services, said Sarai.
Sarai also met President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who both took their posts last year promising to reinstate state authority over all parts of Lebanon and to implement reforms to fight corruption. The country is still struggling with an economic crisis that began in late 2019 rooted in decades of corruption. “There’s a lot of optimism and I hope Lebanon will be able to deliver on these,” said Sarai about the pledged reforms. At one point during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war, Lebanon hosted an estimated 1.5 million refugees.
Some half-million Syrians have returned since former Syrian President Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024, according to Lebanon’s social affairs minister. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events
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