Rabia Iclal Turan
12 March 2026•Update: 12 March 2026
WASHINGTON
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Thursday that she will travel to Türkiye in the “coming days” to meet Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the situation in the Middle East and the need for “de-escalation” amid the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Anand said at a news conference that she will be “emphasizing and pushing on the needs of Canadians in the region, as well as the need for de-escalation and the protection of civilian lives and civilian infrastructure.”
Her remarks came as Canada announced new humanitarian funding for Lebanon.
Randeep Sarai, Canada’s secretary of state for international development, said Ottawa is providing $37.7 million in assistance to support urgent humanitarian needs.
Canada is working with “trusted humanitarian partners, including Canadian NGOs, such as Humanity and Inclusion Canada, Oxfam Quebec, International Medical Corps Canada, UN agencies and the Red Cross to ensure this life saving assistance goes directly to those who desperately need it,” he said. “We call on all actors to immediately de-escalate the situation and engage in constructive dialogue to prevent further suffering. The people of Lebanon deserve safety, dignity and a future free from violence."
The escalation in the Middle East flared since Israel and the US launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,300 victims to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and over 150 schoolgirls.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, killing at least eight US service members and injuring 140.
On March 2, the Lebanese resistance group, Hezbollah, began attacking Israeli military sites in response to repeated Israeli attacks against Lebanon and the killing of Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike.
Israel retaliated by launching a military campaign against Lebanon, carrying out airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs and areas in the south and east. On March 3, it began a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
