The UK government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon to assist British nationals trying to flee the fighting, the foreign secretary has announced.
The situation was “volatile” and had the potential to “deteriorate quickly”, David Lammy said, just hours before Israel announced the start of a “localised and targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon.
British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 are eligible to take the flight, with vulnerable people a priority.
The plane is scheduled to leave on Wednesday from Beirut, which was hit by fresh Israeli air strikes overnight.The UK government will pay to charter the flight, which will depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, but British nationals will be expected to pay a fee of £350 per seat.
British nationals and dependants will be eligible to request a space on the flight. Any non-British dependants boarding the flight will require a visa, granted for at least six months, to enter the UK.
Any further flights in the coming days will depend on demand and the security situation on the ground, the Foreign Office said. The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority,” Lammy stressed.
Speaking to reporters, he added: “I urge them to leave because the situation on the ground is fast-moving and of course whilst we will do everything we can to protect British nationals, and those plans are in place to do so, we cannot anticipate the circumstances and the speed with we can do that if things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days.
Source: BBC
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