(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Keir Starmer told British nationals to leave Lebanon immediately as the UK mobilized hundreds of troops in case an evacuation is needed following days of Israeli attacks against Hezbollah.
Some 700 military personnel will be deployed to Cyprus – where Britain has a Royal Air Force base — in the coming hours as part of contingency plans, the government said late Tuesday in a statement. They’ll be supported by Border Force and Foreign Office officials.
“The most important message from me this evening is for British nationals in Lebanon to leave immediately and I just want to reinforce that,” Starmer told reporters on a flight to New York, where he will attend the United Nations General Assembly. “Yes we are ramping up contingency plans; I think you’d expect that in light of the escalation. But it is important to be really, really clear, now is the time to leave.”
The British warning comes after Israel attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon every day for the past week, its deadliest bombardment since 2006, raising concerns the conflict in the Middle East could escalate. Israel says its bombing campaign is necessary to stop almost 12 months of missile and drone attacks from Hezbollah that have left some 65,000 Israelis displaced from its northern border area.
“I am worried about the situation and I think we need to be clear we need de-escalation, we need a cease-fire, we need to pull back from the brink, and I think that will be amongst the first topics that will be discussed in New York,” Starmer said.
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