Government tells 5000 UK citizens 'leave Lebanon immediately' amid Israeli strikes

Keir Starmer
-Credit: (Image: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg via Getty Images)


British nationals in Lebanon have been advised to depart the country as the UK Government works to secure additional seats on commercial flights amidst escalating tensions. The situation intensified after Israeli strikes in Lebanon resulted in the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several high-ranking members of the group.

Hezbollah has declared its readiness for combat if Israel proceeds with a ground offensive, raising concerns about the potential for a full-blown regional conflict. With around 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon, the Government is exploring "all contingency options" to ensure their safety.

The Prime Minister's official spokesperson emphasised that Sir Keir Starmer has made it "very, very clear" that British nationals need to leave immediately, especially while commercial flights are still an option.

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The Foreign Office said it is trying to secure more seats on commercial flights for fleeing Brits -Credit:Foreign Office sign

Addressing the press, the spokesperson said: "We're doing everything we can to work with commercial airlines to maximise capacity because we want people to leave, and I understand that there have been extra Middle East Airlines flights leaving Lebanon over the weekend, another scheduled for Tuesday and we have secured seats for British nationals on those flights."

Furthermore, he stated: "What we're focused on at the moment is securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights. We're also working to send a rapid deployment team to bolster the efforts of our embassy in supporting British nationals who want to leave."

When queried on the absence of an evacuation for UK nationals, the spokesperson clarified: "We've been clear whilst there are commercial flights available, British nationals can and, indeed, should leave."

Additionally, the spokesperson highlighted the movement of 700 troops, as well as Border Force and Foreign Office officials, to Cyprus, which is intended to assist in "all contingency options and plan for a range of scenarios in the region".

In response to inquiries regarding the monitoring of the UK's arms sales to Israel amid rising tensions in Lebanon, the spokesperson indicated that arms export licences are under "constant review".

On whether the UK would offer assistance to Israel as in past incidents following attacks by Iran, the spokesperson reiterated: "Clearly we stood with Israel previously. We do repeatedly say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but our focus now is on a ceasefire, and we call on all sides to show restraint, to step back from the brink and avoid any further escalation."

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