The federal government has more than halved calls for help from Canadians abroad since last week as hundreds of citizens and permanent residents flee the Middle East amid a war with Iran, Global Affairs Canada said Tuesday.
Fewer Canadians are taking up government offers of commercial airline seats and ground transportation as flights gradually resume in some parts of the region, the department said.
The war has led many Gulf nations to close their airspace and suspend flights as Iran fires missiles and drones at its neighbors, killing and injuring hundreds of civilians.
Punishing US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran – which US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned would intensify on Tuesday – have killed at least 1,230 people since the war began 11 days ago.
“At this time, we are not aware of any Canadians being injured or killed as a result of the hostilities,” Global Affairs Canada said in its latest update.
More than 110,700 Canadians in the Middle East had signed the government’s Canadians Abroad registry as of Tuesday, although the actual number of Canadians in the region may be higher.
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Between March 4 and March 8, Global Affairs Canada said more than 4,300 Canadians, permanent residents and family members arrived in Canada from the Middle East.
Since March 4, the government has assisted the departure of 871 Canadians and permanent residents from the region to safe third countries, the department added.
It noted that call volumes to the government’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Center had dropped from about 1,400 a day last week to just 600 on Sunday.
“Due to the gradual resumption of commercial flights in some parts of the region, the number of Canadians and permanent residents climbing for seats on flights and ground transportation coordinated by the Government of Canada is decreasing,” the update said.
The department noted that Canadians in the region have been notified of upcoming flights departing Beirut and “planned road movements” from Bahrain in the coming days.
The government has chartered at least one flight from the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul, blocked hundreds of commercial airline seats and in recent days helped transport Canadians to safe third countries.
Canadians wishing to leave Iran are still advised to cross the border into neighboring countries such as Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, where Canadian consular officers are assigned to provide assistance with travel documents and arrange travel elsewhere.
Canadians who choose to travel to the border through Iran do so “at their own risk” and will not be assisted in their journey, the department said.
The current list of Middle Eastern countries classified as “avoid all travel” by the Canadian government includes Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Canadians are advised to avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia if possible.
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(tags to translate)Iran
