Canada and France have told Israel to halts plans to occupy southern Lebanon as invasion preparations under way. Published On 25 Mar 202625 Mar 2026Canada has said that it “strongly condemns” Israel’s plans to occupy southern Lebanon and warned that Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity “must not be violated”, amid plans by Israeli forces to mount a major ground invasion of its northern neighbour.Israel’s preparations to invade and take control of territory up to 30km (18.6 miles) inside Lebanon’s southern border come as the death toll in Lebanon from Israeli attacks has risen to at least 1,072 people, with almost 3,000 wounded, since the start of this month.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listMore than a million people have also been displaced by weeks of Israeli attacks in the south and east of the country, as well as the capital, Beirut, while warnings of a humanitarian crisis are being made at all levels, as Israel’s ground incursion looms.Expressing “solidarity” with the Lebanese government and people of Lebanon, Canada’s Ministry of Global Affairs said on Wednesday that all sides in the conflict must “act in accordance with international law”.“We urge all parties to protect civilians, refrain from attacks on infrastructure, health workers, and peacekeepers,” the ministry said in a statement.On Tuesday, France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot also said that Israel should refrain from its planned occupation of southern Lebanon, warning that such a move would have a dire impact on civilians.“We urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from such ground operations, which would have major humanitarian consequences and would exacerbate the country’s already dire situation,” Barrot told the AFP news agency. Advertisement The French and Canadian statements come after Israel announced that its military will take control of south Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, some 30km from the Israeli border.Is …
