British nationals were scrambling to get out of Lebanon by any means last night with families desperately paying thousands to flee on luxury yachts and private jets.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned Beirut airport could be closed at any moment, as he announced the Government has chartered a plane for those remaining today.
Up to 6,000 UK citizens are still in Lebanon despite repeated warnings to get out before Israel’s invasion began on Monday evening.
As the bombs fell, the Mail spoke to several Britons on the ground who are refusing to move. One said: ‘Sometimes cutting and running is not an option.’
While Israel said ‘fierce fighting’ rages in southern Lebanon, drone attacks and air strikes have rocked Beirut and major cities further north with hundreds of civilians killed in the past two weeks.
It is feared the country could descend into civil war as Christian and Druze communities on the border block fleeing Shiite refugees, worried the presence of Hezbollah members among them will make their towns a target.
Drone attacks and air strikes have rocked Beirut and major cities further north with hundreds of civilians killed in the past two weeks (pictured: a fire following Israeli bombardment on an area of south Lebanon)
It is feared the country could descend into civil war as Christian and Druze communities on the border block fleeing Shiite refugees (pictured: IDF missiles hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon)
Up to 6,000 UK citizens are still in Lebanon despite repeated warnings to get out before Israel’s invasion began on Monday evening (pictured: People fleeing from Lebanon are seen at the Jdeidat Yabous border crossing into Syria)
Many who have the cash are turning to private boat companies to get them to safety in Cyprus and Turkey
The Government has chartered a plane for those remaining British nationals in Lebanon (pictured: Sir Keir Starmer makes a statement on the evolving situation in the Middle East on October 1)
Mr Lammy is ‘seeking more capacity’ to get people out as scores of flights were cancelled with the few remaining tickets on airlines still operating booked up.
‘I have warned for months that we have seen, in previous crises between Israel and Lebanon, the airport close,’ he said.
‘We cannot guarantee we will be able to get people out in speedy fashion. This is turning into a very, very concerning situation on the ground.’
British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the UK charter flight, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised. Mr Lammy added: ‘We cannot make guarantees in what is a febrile and fragile situation.’
With only the Lebanese Middle East Airlines operating to and from Beirut, many who have the cash are turning to private boat companies to get them to safety in Cyprus and Turkey.
Captain Elias Khawand, who is running the operation of multiple boats, said he is receiving hundreds of phone calls every day.
A ticket costs $1,500 (£1,120) on the vessels used for party trips in peace time. They have shipped out 1,000 people since swinging into action two weeks ago.
‘We only have luxury boats which is expensive and the number of passengers is restricted,’ said Mr Khawand. ‘We are trying to get a ferry from Cyprus but we’re facing issues with authorisation from Lebanon.’
Dozens of Britons have used this route, but he was forced to suspend crossings for two days yesterday as the sea is too rough.
The chaos has seen others resort to forking out for private jets. American Rick Sweeney runs a security company and has been facilitating getting clients out of the country by any means.
He has organised boat evacuations, overland escapes through Syria and even chartered planes.
Smoke seeps out from building rubble at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Laylaki neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 1, 2024
Israeli soldiers ready their kit, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in northern Israel October 1, 2024
This photo released on Sept. 30, 2024 shows Israeli troops stationed on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border
An Israeli army main battle tank moves at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024
A member of Israeli security forces inspects the impact site of a reported rocket fired from Lebanon, on the Horeshim interchange in central Israel on October 1, 2024
Structures in Lebanon are hit by artillery fired by the Israeli Army, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel October 1, 2024
‘We’re a little worried about the airspace,’ he said. ‘We have a ten-seater plane and a 100-seater.’
On Sunday morning, the pilot of the ten-seater said it was too dangerous and ‘called it quits’.
But some Britons are staying put. Retired teacher Valerie Fakhoury, 69, from Country Durham, who has lived in Lebanon for 30 years, said her daughter and granddaughter fled over the weekend, but she will not leave.
‘My husband is Lebanese and I feel here is home,’ she said. ‘And I have nowhere really to go in England. I don’t feel at this minute there’s a need to panic.
‘I was here when the Israelis invaded in 2006, I was on the last ferry out. Then I was caught up in the Beirut [port] explosion and got injured.’
Another Briton in his 60s, who asked not to be named, has moved to safety in the mountains. His Lebanese wife is seriously ill and requires home care.
‘Cutting and running is sometimes not an option,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter where I’m based, but her base is here with the children.’
The Israeli military launched a ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon yesterday, striking Hezbollah ‘infrastructure’.
Civilians were warned not to use vehicles to travel south across the Litani river, 20 miles north of the border.
Residents in around 25 villages were told to evacuate and head north.
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