First Brit mercy mission evacuating UK nationals from Lebanon jets out of Beirut amid scramble to flee warzone
A SINGLE plane evacuating Brits has left Beirut as civilians scramble to flee the warzone in Lebanon.
It comes as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out war as Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters face off in a bloody showdown.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the first charter flight taking British nationals out of Lebanon has now departed from Beirut.
But it’s understood there was not enough room on the plane for everyone wanting to escape the warzone.
Tensions have hit boiling point after Israel staged a land invasion of Lebanon on Monday and Iran last night launched a barrage of 181 missiles.
Lammy said: “We have arranged another flight for tomorrow, and further flights over the coming days for as long as there is demand and it is safe to do so.”
He urged British nationals still in Lebanon to register with the Foreign Office and leave the country immediately.
But it is feared flights from the Rafic Hariri international airport may be halted by this weekend.
Brit Isobel Taper, 31, said she grabbed her stuff and “just ran” as blasts rang out close to where she lives.
Taper, who is studying at the American Univerity of Beirut, told Sky News: “Everybody’s been messaging my parents, family, friends… it’s been a lot of people.
“I’ve brought the bare minimum, I just ran, got everything ready and came here.”
The road to the airport goes through a Hezbollah stronghold and the UK government is not helping citizens get there.
Vulnerable British citizens and their spouses, partners, and children under 18 were prioritised for today’s evacuation flight.
A separate scheduled Middle East Airlines service also brought Britons back to the UK.
But there are concerns in Whitehall that further military activity by Israel could result in the closure of the airport, cutting off the most straightforward exit route for the estimated 4-6,000 British nationals in Lebanon.
Hundreds of British troops have been deployed to Cyprus alongside RAF and Royal Navy assets in the region in preparation for a potential evacuation.
The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate around 50 villages and towns across southern Lebanon as its activities continue.
It comes as Israel today confirmed the first death of a soldier since its troops invaded Lebanon to fight Hezbollah.
It comes as…
- Palestinian dad is only fatality in Israel from Iran’s blitz
- Israel ‘preparing to blast Iran’s oil fields’ in revenge
- UK helped fend off 181 Iran missile blitz with Typhoon jets
- Middle East on brick of all-out war as Israel vows retaliation
- At least six people shot dead in ‘terror attack’ in Israeli city Tel Aviv
- Elite IDF paratroopers & commando units launch ground invasion of Lebanon
- Israel vows to ‘crush Hezbollah’ after launching ‘Northern Arrows’ invasion
- Israel declares no-go zone for Lebanese civilians south of the Litani River
- UK Government charters emergency flight out of Lebanon for fleeing Brits
Egoz commando unit member Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, 22, was killed in an ambush by terrorists in a village in southern Lebanon.
Israeli tanks and troops poured over the northern border into Lebanon earlier this weekend for a much-anticipated showdown with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The focus of the operation is clearing out Hezbollah terror sites to halt rocket attacks which have driven 60,000 from homes in Northern Israel in the last 11 months, Israeli sources said.
Israel’s military has dubbed the gambit against Iran’s proxy army, which has rained missiles on Israeli homes for nearly a year, Operation Northern Arrows.
A no-go zone has been drawn up for civilians in southern Lebanon, with 26 towns urged to evacuate.
And as tensions flare, Iran last night fired a barrage of 181 missiles into Israel.
Western experts discounted Iran’s claims 90 per cent hit targets and analysts branded the blitz another embarrassing flop and a 320 missile and drone attack in April was also repelled.
Two Typhoon fighter jets and a Voyager refuelling tanker were scrambled from Cyprus by British forces, the Ministry of Defence today confirmed.
The MoD said: “Due to the nature orf this attack, they did not engage any targets, but they played an important part in wider deterrence and efforts to prevent further escalation.”
But furious Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned the terrorist state had made a “big mistake”.
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.”
Israel is now planning a major response to last night’s unprecedented Iranian missile attack – likely to hit Iranian oil plants and air defence system.