UK government charters evacuation flight
The UK Government has chartered a flight to help British nationals escape Lebanon as thousands are urged to flee ahead of Israel’s full-scale invasion.
The evacuation flight is set to depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport today.
The flight will prioritise British nationals and their immediate families, including spouses, partners, and children under 18, as stated by the Foreign Office.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly.”
He said: “We will continue to speak to the Israelis and indeed to other actors in the Middle East.
“At this time, none of us want to see a regional escalation. None of us want a return to the years in which Israel found itself bogged down in a quagmire in southern Lebanon and pitched battles between Israeli soldiers and of course the Lebanese side.
“We have been warning for months that we risk a regional war with escalation on all sides and that is why we want to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.
“It is politics, discussion and diplomacy that will solve the problems before us and we urge, with partners, restraint at this time.”
Israel’s invasion of Lebanon
Israel launched a major ground invasion into southern Lebanon yesterday, deploying tanks and troops over the border in a significant escalation against Hezbollah.
Heavy artillery fire preceded the first reports of ground clashes as Israeli troops engaged with Hezbollah militants entrenched in defensive positions.
The primary objective of the operation is to dismantle Hezbollah’s terror sites, which have been launching rocket attacks that have displaced over 60,000 residents from northern Israel over the past 11 months, according to Israeli sources.
Israel informed its American allies about “limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border”, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller later confirmed.
Benjamin Netanyahu issues warning
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Iran for making a “big mistake” and has threatened “it will pay for it”.
He warned: “There is also a deliberate and murderous hand behind this attack – it comes from Tehran.
“We will stand by the rule we established: whoever attacks us – we will attack him.”