OTTAWA, July 23. /TASS/. Canada will accommodate 50 of the White Helmets organization members evacuated from Syria, as well as their family members, Canada’s CBC TV channel reported, citing government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the officials, Ottawa "has agreed to accept up to 50 of the White Helmet volunteers and their families, which could mean up to 250 people." At the same time, the government sources said that the number could change.
On Sunday, the press service of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he had held a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu concerning the regional security situation and the evacuation of White Helmets members from Syria. No details of the conversation were given.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said on Twitter that Israel had evacuated White Helmets members and their families from Syria at the request of the US, Canada and some European countries. Israel’s Galei Tzahal radio station said that 800 people had been taken to Jordan from southern Syria, where government forces continued an operation against opposition units.
Damascus believes that the White Helmets are linked to the Jabhat al-Nusra terror organization (outlawed in Russia) and act in its interests.
The United States has been funding the White Helmets since 2013, providing more than $33 mln to them.