As conflict between Israel and Iran escalates, Canadians with ties to region watch anxiously
Latest conflict between 2 countries now stretches roughly a week
Harlan Abells was supposed to be heading on a trip to Israel on Friday. Instead, he's been checking with friends who live there to make sure they're safe.
"I mean, it's scary. It's almost sad to think that it's not anything new," said Abells, president of the Winnipeg-based Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada.
"I've been lucky — my friends that I do have there have been OK so far."
The latest conflict between Israel and Iran began last Friday, when Israel attacked Iran with a barrage of airstrikes that killed top military officers and targeted nuclear and missile sites, raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries.
Iran has retaliated by firing missiles and drones at Israel.
An Iranian human rights group based in the U.S. estimates at least 585 people, including 239 civilians, have been killed in Iran. At least 24 people have been killed in Israel.
As the conflict stretches toward the end of its first week, many in Canada have been watching closely.
Abells recalled an exchange he had with a friend living in Israel Tuesday morning.
"He literally said to me, like, 'define OK' — you know, he's like, 'My bedroom's a bomb shelter so I don't have to run in the middle of the night,' but he doesn't stay in his bedroom 24/7," said Abells.
Winnipeg's Belle Jarniewski, meanwhile, heard first-hand details about a missile strike in Bat Yam, Israel, where at least six people were killed, from a friend who lives in the city. His apartment is just a 10-minute walk from an area hit, she said.
"What he's seeing and how shocking it is… it really hits home when it, you know, when it's someone that you know very well, and when you've been there and seen the place," said Jarniewski, the executive director of Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada.
"And it's very frightening, because I don't know what Iran is capable of doing in the near future."
Hoping for change
Arian Arianpour, a community organizer and former president of the Iranian Community of Manitoba, said nobody wants to see "their nation's infrastructure turned into rubble."
But Arianpour said he thinks this conflict was inevitable. For him, the worst-case scenario is a prolonged war.
"That is not good for the people of Iran, nor for the people of Israel, nor for the region, nor for the whole world," said Arianpour from Ontario, where he now lives.
"The best option at this point is to ensure that the international community, through efforts that involve the Iranian people, dismantle the regime's apparatus and move forward, work on a transition process and start a new era for Iran, Iranians and all Middle Easterns."
Arianpour said while he believes Iran's theocratic regime will eventually fall, what happens after matters.
"I think during the transition process it's very important to not only involve the people of Iran, but to ensure that those who are being involved are the representatives of all Iranians," he said.
Jarniewski sees an opportunity for change in Iran too.
"I think we've seen a lot of activism," said Jarniewski. "Particularly from women in Iran, but others as well in the last couple years, opposing, very bravely opposing, the regime."
WATCH | Canadians anxiously watch Israel-Iran conflict:
A key factor many are watching closely now is what U.S. President Donald Trump will do next.
Earlier this week, Trump demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" in a social media post, and warned Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the U.S. knows where he is hiding, but said there were no plans to kill him, "at least not for now."
In a recorded speech, Khamenei, 86, said "the Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage."
Global Affairs Canada said last Friday afternoon it's advising Canadians to avoid all travel to Israel "due to the ongoing hostilities and unpredictable security situation."
With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press, Thomson Reuters and CBC's Alana Cole