Trapped Brits race to escape Lebanon amid fear of war breaking out

Britons trapped in Lebanon have claimed they are unable to leave even as Sir Keir Starmer urged UK residents to flee the country yesterday amid Israel’s bombardment of Hezbollah and fears of an impending ground war. Britain’s Ministry of Defence is ramping up contingency plans for a desperate evacuation of UK citizens from Lebanon, with a 700-strong force of Royal Marine commandos, sailors and combat ­engineers being rushed to the region.

Such plans would also see warships and RAF jets already stationed in Cyprus tasked with facilitating the rescue mission, with an estimated 10,000 Brits still stuck in the country. But several Britons took to social media in recent days to declare they or members of their family have not received any response from the British consulate as flights out of Beirut are cancelled amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes.

‘How am I supposed to leave when every flight is cancelled,’ Stuart Brookes asked. Meanwhile, Amanda Bonner said her daughter and two kids are trapped in Lebanon because the youngest child, aged just six months, does not have a passport and the family cannot get a response from the British Embassy.

Israel’s round-the-clock strikes have already killed at least 560 people and wounded more than 1,800 since Monday morning. Families have fled southern Lebanon, flocking to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach.

The MoD’s rescue mission template, known in military circles as ‘Operation Meteoric’, could see commandos making beach landings in Lebanon with UK citizens escorted on to a flotilla of military vessels. Amphibious troops would spearhead the rescue bid while the RAF, flying from the UK’s airbase on Cyprus, would provide ‘top cover’. 

Royal Navy ships RFA Mounts Bay and HMS Duncan have been in the eastern Mediterranean region to support allies all summer and would also be tasked with supporting evacuation efforts. The Royal Air Force have aircraft and transport helicopters on standby to provide support if necessary, and the Foreign Office said Border Force and FCDO officials would be on hand to support military units. The operation would be ‘green-lit’ should routes out of the war-torn country, such as international air corridors, be closed down.

This prospect appears increasingly likely after commercial carriers, including British Airways, were already cancelling flights to and from the region as the Prime Minister issued his warning. Other countries, including Egypt, began restricting passage to and from Lebanon on Monday. Despite repeated government pleas, thousands of UK citizens have opted to remain in Lebanon as security in the country has worsened.

But Defence Secretary John Healey said last night: ‘Events in the past hours and days have demonstrated how volatile this situation is which is why our message is clear – British nationals should leave now. We continue to urge all sides to step back from conflict to prevent further tragic loss of life. Government is ensuring all preparations are in place to support British nationals should the situation deteriorate.’ 

The Foreign Office echoed the warnings to leave Lebanon ‘immediately’ in a statement shared late Tuesday, continuing to advise against all travel to Lebanon ‘as the situation continues to deteriorate rapidly’ with ‘devastating consequences’. Thousands of Lebanese citizens have already fled across the border to Syria since the Israeli bombardment began in earnest on Monday, a United Nations refugee agency official said this morning. 

Rula Amin, Middle East and North Africa spokesperson for the agency known as UNHCR, said that families were ‘arriving in buses and cars, but also travelling by foot.’ ‘Crowds of people – many of whom are women, young children and even infants – continue to await processing for entry,’ she said. ‘Many will have to spend the night outdoors waiting their turn.’

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