“We are ramping up the contingency plans,” Sir Keir Starmer declared, adding that “we are potentially at a brink” of full-scale conflict.
In anticipation of a potential British national evacuation from Lebanon, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is deploying 700 troops to neighboring Cyprus, while the government “continues to advise against all travel to Lebanon”.
It has been recommended to Britons to arrange flights out of the country, but there aren’t many options available since most airlines, except from the national carrier, have canceled or suspended operations and are reporting that the vacant slots are full.
The situation is said to be worsening “rapidly, with devastating consequences” in the nation, where Israeli strikes are said to have killed over 560 people this week.
When asked by reporters how he would make sure that the anarchy that occurred when the Taliban took over the Afghan capital of Kabul in August 2021 wouldn’t happen again, British Prime Minister Sir Keir responded, “The most important message from me to British nationals in Lebanon is to leave immediately.”
“It’s critical that we have made it very clear: the time to leave is now.”
The management of the 15,000 individuals who were evacuated out of Afghanistan was heavily criticized for being poorly executed.
