The British government has chartered a limited number of flights to evacuate UK citizens from Lebanon, as it repeated its warning for them to leave the country immediately as Israel continues to drop bombs on Beirut and the south.
More than 150 British nationals and dependents left Beirut on a government chartered flight on Wednesday, with many saying they had ‘no choice’ but to leave their homes amid the intensifying situation.
With thousands of British nationals still thought to be in Lebanon and commercial flights completely sold out, the government said it was putting on more flights to meet demand.
The flights will depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport from today and ‘will continue for as long as the security situation allows,’ the foreign office said in a statement.
The first charter flight taking British nationals out of Lebanon departed last night before landing in Birmingham at around 8pm, with relieved families pictured reuniting with their loved ones.
Other emotional families were seen hugging their loved ones as they arrived back to Britain
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a neighborhood in the southern suburb of Beirut early October 3, 2024
A plane prepares to take off from Rafik Hariri International Airport as smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024
This is the emotional moment a husband was reunited with his wife at Heathrow Airport after she managed to flee war-torn Lebanon
Israel has pounded Hezbollah targets in an intense aerial campaign over the past two weeks, leaving more than 1,200 people dead, many of whom are civilians, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Foreign secretary David Lammy reiterated the government’s warning to Brits to get out of Lebanon, saying the safety of UK nationals ‘continues to be our utmost priority’.
‘The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly. 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.’
As of last week, there were thought to be between 4,000 and 6,000 UK nationals, including dependants, in Lebanon.
The first arrivals of Britons fleeing Lebanon come as Israel continues its ground assault and aerial bombardment of the country as the IDF seeks to push back Hezbollah terrorists from its northern border.
Fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed military group has ramped up massively in the past few days.
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024
Artillery is fired by the Israeli Army into Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Jish, northern Israel October 2, 2024
An Israeli Apache helicopter releases flares near the Israeli-Lebanon border
It follows a devastating series of bombing strikes by the IDF on Beirut in which wiped out a number of top Hezbollah commanders, including its feared leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The assassination of Nasrallah, who Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu dubbed the ‘arch-terrorist’ responsible for attacks across the Middle East, triggered a missile strike by Iran on Israel on Tuesday evening.
Tehran fired some 180 ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv in a dramatic and unprecedented bombardment that led to major condemnation from the West – and now threatens to catapult the Middle East into ‘all-out war’.
And as the fighting continues to spiral, Britons living in Lebanon have been urged to evacuate the country by whatever means they can.
