The Canadian ambassador to Lebanon said that the embassy and its staff are ready to assist nearly 17,000 Canadians registered in the country if they need evacuation, amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

Stephanie MacLaughlin told Power Play host on CTV, Vassy Kapelos, in an exclusive television interview aired on Tuesday, that "planning is underway" for the possibility of leaving assistance, and that she "feels ready" if the federal government announces it will proceed with this action.

She added, "We feel that we are prepared to be able to assist Canadian citizens in meeting their needs if Canada proceeds with assisting to leave, yes." "It will take time, and the numbers are large, but in terms of preparation, and in terms of having a plan, and in terms of having the whole government’s capacity to respond, I think we have gotten there."

Fighting between Israel and the armed group Hezbollah based in Lebanon has escalated in recent weeks, and the Canadian government has warned of the deteriorating security situation in the region.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has been urging Canadians in Lebanon to return home, saying earlier this week, "The time has come."

However, Joly did not specify whether the Canadian government is prepared to arrange and pay for flights for the thousands of citizens currently in Lebanon to evacuate them.

She encouraged Canadians to "exit" Lebanon using commercial flights that are still available.

MacLaughlin said, "What I would like to say is that the situation in Lebanon right now is unpredictable and volatile," confirming, "We are closely monitoring the daily skirmishes happening along the southern border."

She continued, "At the moment it seems those skirmishes are contained, so we hope that no escalation or spreading of the current conflict reaches Lebanon."

When asked whether she would leave the country on a commercial flight based on her risk assessment if she were not the ambassador and was required to be there, MacLaughlin did not answer directly.

She said, "I think Canadians need to assess their personal situation, and they need to evaluate the type of environment available to them, how safe they are, and whether they have support networks."

"As a staff member at the embassy, we have certain infrastructure and networks here that I can utilize, and my employer provides me with some support, and I think I will take that into account when making my decision."

MacLaughlin confirmed, "But all Canadians need to take that into consideration when making their decision, and we advise Canadians that it is safe to leave now, and they should do so."

Last week, fearing the spread of war between Israel and Hamas, and considering the fighting in southern Lebanon, the Canadian government issued a "avoid all travel" advisory to the country.

While nearly 17,000 Canadians in Lebanon have registered with the embassy—which MacLaughlin said she is "happy" to see so that staff can track everyone—it is unclear how many citizens have not registered. It is also unclear how many individuals have followed the government's advice and left the country via commercial flights.

The last time the Canadian government evacuated about 14,370 citizens from Lebanon was in July 2006, amid fighting between Hezbollah and Israel, at a total cost of $94 million at that time.

MacLaughlin said the Canadian embassy in Beirut has built lessons learned from this situation into its planning for any potential evacuations in the future.

She noted, "Our planning is robust and takes into account all kinds of scenarios," "It has been exercised before."