OTTAWA: Canada decided to pull the children of its diplomats and their guardians out of Israel on Wednesday amid fears of a widened conflict in the Middle East, the Canadian foreign ministry said.

Israel’s tensions with Iran and Hezbollah have fanned fears of a broader conflict in a region already on edge amid Israel’s assault on Gaza which has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, including widespread hunger.

There has been an increased risk of escalation into a broader Middle East war after the killings of Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut drew threats of retaliation against Israel.

The foreign ministry, in a statement on Thursday, said it had approved temporarily relocating the diplomats’ children and their guardians to a safe third country. It added that diplomats stationed in Ramallah in the West Bank and in Beirut do not have dependents living with them.

Canada on Saturday warned citizens to avoid all travel to Israel, saying the regional armed conflict endangered security. It also urges its citizens to not travel to Gaza and the West Bank.

The embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut and the representative office to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank “all remain fully operational and continue to provide essential services to Cana­dians,” the ministry said in a statement.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2024