More British nationals are expected to be evacuated from Lebanon on Thursday following an airstrike in Beirut – the second Israeli attack on the capital this week.
An Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in Beirut overnight is the latest in a series of attacks, which Lebanon’s Health Ministry said killed at least six people.
The airstrike hit not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament and no warning was issued ahead of the blast, with the number of casualties unclear.
On Wednesday, a plane chartered by the government carrying Britons landed in Birmingham from Lebanon.
The flight was chartered to help meet any additional demand for British nationals and their dependents wanting to leave Lebanon. Another flight is expected to leave Beirut this afternoon.
The defence secretary John Healey met with RAF personnel and said in a post on X: “I’ve got great confidence in our ability to do the job required.
“But for now, our government advice to all Brits in Lebanon is get out now.”
The Foreign Office has said that any further flights in the coming days will depend on demand and the security situation on the ground.
Vulnerable British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18, will be prioritised.
In a post to X, foreign secretary David Lammy reiterated calls for British citizens in Lebanon to leave while commercial flights are still available.
The urgent calls for flights out Beirut comes as fighting escalated in the region with Iran launching at least 180 missiles into Israel earlier this week.
Two Typhoon fighter jets, supported by a tanker aircraft, were involved in an operation to defend citizens although the Ministry of Defence said because of the nature of the attack “they did not engage any targets”.
The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate about 50 villages and towns across southern Lebanon as its activities continue.
Israel has also promised to retaliate for the Iranian missile attack, something which could trigger a wider war in the region.
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