Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada is not considering sanctions on Israel after it attacked Lebanon this week and appeared to violate a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran just hours before a Tuesday night deadline he had set for a mass bombing campaign in that country.
Despite that agreement, Israel attacked Beirut on Wednesday in a renewed effort to strike the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Those blasts killed at least 203 people and wounded hundreds more in the deadliest day of the war in Lebanon since the latest conflict began on February 28.
Iran has threatened strong responses to the attack on Beirut but Israel and the U.S. have both said Lebanon was not part of the ceasefire deal.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected to start next week in Washington to support the tentative ceasefire in the Iran war.
Speaking at a media event at the Port of Montreal on Thursday, Carney said the ceasefire is "very fragile" but insisted the end of hostilities in the Middle East must include Lebanon.
"That certainly had been the understanding and that needs to be the reality on the ground," he said.
A reporter asked Carney whether he would consider sanctioning Israel in response to its attacks. He brushed off the suggestion.
"Canada will use its offices, its influence, to support. I wouldn't go to what you're suggesting as the method at this point, at this delicate point in time in order to advance, but the ceasefire needs to include Lebanon and needs to include it now," he said.
Carney added Thursday that Hezbollah "needs to be brought under control."
The prime minister was among the world leaders who signed a statement issued Wednesday calling on all sides to implement a ceasefire, including in Lebanon. That statement was reissued Thursday, with more than 10 additional world leaders adding their names to the statement.
Trump met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday for a closed-door meeting. Trump has harshly criticized NATO allies for not coming to the United States' aid after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, and had floated pulling the U.S. out of NATO ahead of the meeting.
After the meeting, Trump issued another all-caps comment on social media: "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN." The White House did not immediately offer any further updates.
Carney was asked Thursday whether he has concerns about the stability of NATO.
In response, he pointed to Canada's recent efforts with a subset of NATO allies to secure the Arctic. He also cited his government recently meeting the alliance's benchmark for military spending of two per cent of GDP.
"That's a robust way of protecting Canadians, regardless of how NATO itself evolves. But of course, what we are at the core is, we're a strong NATO member, we're going to continue to support its evolution," Carney said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 9, 2026.
— with files from Morgan Lowrie in Montreal and The Associated Press
