The UK government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid escalating violence.
The plane is due to take off from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday with vulnerable British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 to be prioritised, the Foreign Office said.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the situation in Lebanon “is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly” and the safety of British citizens there “continues to be our utmost priority”.
He added: “That’s why the UK government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.”
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While the government will pay to charter the flight, those wanting to get on it will be expected to pay a fee of £350 per seat.
Commercial flights are still operating and the Foreign Office has been working with partners to increase capacity to enable British nationals to leave, the department said.
There are concerns about rising violence in the Middle East after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut at the weekend.
The Iran-backed militant group responded by saying it is ready to fight should Israel launch a ground offensive, with fears mounting that the escalating hostilities could result in a full-scale regional war.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Lammy said the government had set up a rapid response unit to help the estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon, with 700 troops stationed in Cyprus and seats booked on commercial flights to bring them home.
The foreign secretary urged those wanting to flee to make use of this help immediately, saying the government might not be able to protect them if the conflict escalates.
Asked what he would say to British nationals who have not yet taken his advice, he said: “I urge them to leave because the situation on the ground is fast-moving.
“While we will do everything we can to protect British nationals and those plans are in place to do so, we cannot anticipate the circumstances of the speed with which we could do that if things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days.”
It emerged today that Israeli special forces are conducting probing operations inside Lebanon, ahead of a potential ground assault.
There were reports of heavy artillery fire in border towns in southern Lebanon on Monday night, after Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant warned “the next stage in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon”.
Mr Lammy said he spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday evening and they are both “concerned” about the situation and are urging de-escalation.
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Asked if military aid could be sent to Israel if it is attacked by Iran, Mr Lammy said he met with the Iranian foreign minister last week and “I was urging Iran to show restraint”.
“As you would expect over the coming hours, we will continue to be in touch with Iran,” he added.
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On whether he agrees with US President Joe Biden that the killing of Hassan Nasrallah was a “measure of justice”, Mr Lammy said: “I don’t mourn the death of the head of a proscribed terrorist organisation, but I do mourn the civilians who have lost their lives in the bloodshed over the last few days.”
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