Canadians urged to 'avoid all travel' to Israel amid escalating hostilities with Iran

The federal government is urging Canadians to "avoid all travel" to Israel as the country exchanges missile and air strikes with Iran.

The Canadian government says it issued the warning because of Israel's "ongoing hostilities" with Iran.

Meanwhile, Canada's foreign affairs minister has asked Canadians in the Middle East in need of emergency assistance to contact the Department of Global Affairs.

Anita Anand's social media post this morning comes after she condemned Iran's attack on Israel and called for restraint from both countries. In an interview with CBC's The House on Friday, she said Canada "always prefers negotiated solutions, and we encourage parties to get to the table."

On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney called for Israel and Iran to exercise "maximum restraint" and move toward a diplomatic solution on Friday, while criticizing Iran's missile strikes on Israel and affirming Israel's right to defend itself.

"Iran's nuclear program has long been a cause of grave concern, and its missile attacks across Israel threaten regional peace," Carney said.

Carney convened the National Security Council, a cabinet committee, on Friday "to ensure that all necessary steps will be taken to protect our nationals and our diplomatic missions in the region," he said.

"Canada reaffirms Israel's right to defend itself and to ensure its security. We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and move towards a diplomatic resolution."

Israel's defence minister warned Saturday that "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles.

The two countries traded blows after Israel launched a blistering surprise attack Friday on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing several top generals.