The British government has been securing extra flights for UK nationals to make their way out of Lebanon, as ministers continued to urge citizens still in the country to “leave now”.
Official advice has been warning British nationals to leave the country for months. But with the escalation of tension following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, there have been fresh appeals to Brits to urgently secure a place on a flight.
Commercial flights are still operating and Foreign Office officials have been working to increase the number available for British nationals. There have also been appeals for them to register their presence in the country with the government.
The embassy is also being aided by an emergency team attempting to make contact with British people known to be in the country. Official advice to leave the country has actually been in place since October last year, citing the risks arising for the conflict taking place in Gaza.
The latest government assessment states that “tensions are high and events could escalate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon”.
Many airlines stopped flying to Lebanon as Israel intensified its offensive, and the few flights still leaving Beirut are sold out. But not all the Britons in Beirut want to leave.
Chris Watts founded and runs Future Academy, a sports and education charity for children living in two Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut. They support people who don’t have the option to leave and he wants to keep working. “If I did not stay I would regret it for the rest of my life,” he said. “I’m trying to make sure that the children who are affected by last time this happened, and the ones who will be affected this time, get the best education possible.”
On Saturday he was going ahead with a planned house move, and said he will only try to get out of Lebanon if the Israeli campaign, currently focused on Hezbollah strongholds, expands to other parts of the city. “I have a red line … indiscriminate bombing of Beirut.”
The Foreign Office has not given its own estimate of the number of Britons it believes remain in Lebanon. “Our advice is clear, British nationals should register their presence, book the first available flight and leave now,” said a spokesperson. “We have worked with partners to increase flights and secure seats for British nationals to leave and have also sent a rapid deployment team to bolster the efforts of our embassy in supporting British nationals.
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“We know it’s a distressing time for British nationals and all people in Lebanon, which is why we are doing everything we can to help.”