MPs to debate Lebanon crisis, evacuation options this evening after Israeli incursion

The House of Commons will hold an emergency debate this evening on the crisis in Lebanon after Israel’s ground incursion intensified fears of a full-scale invasion.

Members of Parliament will weigh in on how Ottawa should respond to the Israeli ground operation that started early this morning and the airstrikes that have destroyed apartment buildings in Beirut.

Israel says it’s undertaking a limited incursion and that its actions are aimed at ending Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on northern Israel, where its citizens evacuated months ago.

Israeli strikes have killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and civilians including two Canadians whose sons say they were trying to flee to safety on a congested highway.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has said there are about 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon and she has warned for months that evacuating people might not be possible if commercial flights stop.

House Speaker Greg Fergus has accepted a request by NDP foreign affairs critic Heather McPherson for an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the crisis and its evacuation measures.