Keir Starmer has told British nationals in Lebanon “now is the time to leave” after 558 people were killed in Monday’s attack as fighting intensified between Israel and Hezbollah
Brits are being ordered to leave Lebanon and warships are being put on standby amid fears of an all-out war following catastrophic Israeli airstrikes.
Keir Starmer has told British nationals in Lebanon “now is the time to leave” after 558 people were killed in Monday’s attack as fighting intensified between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Ministry of Defence are putting warships on standby and around 700 UK troops are being deployed to Cyprus as they prepare to support British nationals in the region.
Israel claimed it had hit hundreds of Hezbollah sites and on Tuesday the Israeli military killed the head of Hezbollah’s rocket after accusing the the group of hiding weapons in residential areas.
According to the Israeli military, Hezbollah responded by firing more than 300 rockets into northern Israel, injuring six people. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the group was leading Lebanon “to the edge of the abyss”.
Mr Starmer said he was “deeply concerned” with the fighting amid fears of an all-out war in the Middle East. He told The Mirror: “We are potentially at a brink point, and we have to come back from the brink”.
In addition, the Royal Air Force has put helicopters and aircraft on standby, as the RFA Mounts Bay and Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan remain stationed in the eastern Mediterranean to help boost contingency operations. Defence Secretary John Healey has urged Brits to leave as they bid to calm tensions in the region, stating: “We continue to urge all sides to step back from conflict to prevent further tragic loss of life.
“Our government is ensuring all preparations are in place to support British nationals should the situation deteriorate. I want to thank the British personnel who are deploying in the region for their commitment and professionalism.” US President Joe Biden told the UN General Assembly that a full-scale conflict was “not in anyone’s interest” and insisted that a “diplomatic solution is still possible”.
The Israel-Lebanon border has seen almost daily exchanges since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7. Before Monday, the exchanges had killed around 600 people in Lebanon — mostly fighters but also about 100 civilians — and about 50 soldiers and civilians in Israel. It has also forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate homes near the border in both Israel and Lebanon.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised to retaliate for the electronic device bombings. But Hezbollah also has proved wary of further stoking the crisis. The group faces a difficult balance of stretching the rules of engagement by hitting deeper into Israel in response to its brazen attacks, while at the same time trying to avoid the kind of large-scale attacks on civilian areas that can trigger a full-scale war that it could be blamed for.
Hezbollah says its attacks against Israel are in support of its ally Hamas. Last week, Nasrallah said the barrages will continue — and Israelis won’t be able to return to homes in the north — until Israel’s campaign in Gaza ends.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly he wanted to state “loudly and clearly” that the Israeli government is disregarding human rights, trampling on international law, and “is practicing ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians.
He also accused Israel at Tuesday’s opening of the annual global gathering of carrying out “a clear genocide against a nation a people, and occupying their lands, step by step.”
“Israel’s behaviour has once again demonstrated that it is imperative for the international community to develop a protection mechanism for Palestinian civilians,” Erdogan said. “Seventy years ago, just as Hitler was stopped by an alliance of humanity, [Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped, must be stopped by an alliance of humanity.”
