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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that he couldn't rule out his country's military participation in the escalating war in the Middle East.
"One can never categorically rule out participation," France 24 quoted him as saying, while stressing the question was a "hypothetical" one.
He made the remarks alongside Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese during a visit in Canberra, when asked whether there was a situation in which Canada would get involved.
"We will stand by our allies," said Carney, adding that "we will always defend Canadians."
Carney had said the US-Israeli strikes on Iran were "inconsistent with international law".
However, he supports the efforts to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon -- a position that Canada takes "with regret" as it represented "another example of the failure of the international order".
The Canadian leader reiterated on Thursday his call for a "de-escalation" of the conflict.
Carney's trip is part of a multi-country tour of the Asia-Pacific aimed at reducing reliance on the United States -- a hedge against what he has described as a fading US-led global order.