Lebanon-Israel latest: Starmer tells Britons to leave Lebanon immediately as UK troops readied for evacuation
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed more than 560 people, including women and 50 children, says health ministry
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Sir Keir Starmer has urged Britons in Lebanon to “leave immediately” as Israel intensifies its bombing campaign against Hezbollah.
Speaking on a flight to the United Nations HQ in New York, Sir Keir said: "The most important message from me to British nationals in Lebanon is to leave immediately. It is important that we’ve been really, really clear: now is the time to leave.”
It comes as hundreds of British troops are being sent to Cyprus to prepare for a possible evacuation of Britons from Lebanon.
Around 700 soldiers are deploying imminently to assist hundreds of those already in Cyprus and waiting to help stranded British citizens. Government officials fear that there may be more than 10,000 British citizens still in Lebanon.
Rocket sirens were sounded across Tel Aviv this morning as the Israeli military said it intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired from Lebanon.
This is the first time Hezbollah has targeted Tel Aviv, in central Israel, since near-daily rocket fire across the border late last year following the 7 October Hamas attack and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s retaliatory war on Gaza.
UK nationals told to leave Lebanon immediately as 700 troops sent to Cyprus
Thousands flee Israel airstrikes on Lebanon with what little they can: ‘We’re afraid for a big war’
Israel-Hezbollah conflict timeline: Everything that’s happened since 7 October
‘Some things are more important than staying in power’: In UN speech, Biden speaks of dropping out of the election and warns of Middle East war
Analysis: Routes out of Lebanon are narrowing as Starmer urges Brits to evacuate
The foreign secretary David Lammy and the defence secretary John Healey have been calling for British citizens to leave Lebanon for days, with commercial flight operators cancelling flights and options for people to make their own way out narrowing.
Those warnings have now been repeated by the prime minister, with Israel intensifying its strikes across Lebanon, as it aims to hit Hezbollah. More than 560 people have now died around the country, with around 2,000 injured, heightening fears of an all-out war.
Although commercial flights are still operating for now, there are concerns that Israel could bomb the international airport in Beirut – or the roads to it – like it did in the 2006 war against Hezbollah, which could cut off British citizens from their only means of escape.
Ministers have been preparing for a possible evacuation of the up to 10,000 Britons in Lebanon, with 700 troops being deployed to Cyprus to ensure they are ready if an emergency airlift is needed. Moving at this speed – and making it clear to the public what is happening – has likely been informed of the chaotic scenes during the UK troop withdrawal/evacuation from Kabul when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021.
The scenes of people trying to claim onto the wheels of planes while thousands rushed to cram up against fences to plead for help will be seared into the minds of the government, they will not want a repeat.
While such an evacuation is unlikely to be imminent, ministers will know the situation can change quickly. There would be an obvious preference to conduct any emergency evacuation via military planes – as it would be fastest. But UK forces may end up needing to rely on Royal Navy ships waiting in the area, depending on how the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah progress.
Sir Keir Starmer: Britons should leave Lebanon immediately
Sir Keir Starmer has urged Britons still in Lebanon to “leave immediately” as Israel intensifies its strikes against Hezbollah.
Speaking on a flight to the United Nations HQ in New York, Sir Keir said: "The most important message from me to British nationals in Lebanon is to leave immediately. It is important that we’ve been really, really clear: now is the time to leave.”
Starmer says Netanyahu wrong to criticise arms export suspension
Sir Keir Starmer rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of the UK government’s decision to suspend some arms export licences to Israel amid concerns of violation of humanitarian law.
The Israeli prime minister called the decision “misguided” after the new Labour government suspended about 30 out of a total of 350 arms export licences to Israel.
The licences were suspended after a UK assessment suggested they could be used to breach international rules.
Sir Keir told LBC ahead of his UN General Assembly speech that Israel was an “important ally” but said Britain had to comply with international rules.
“I have long supported Israel’s right to self-defence and that has been absolutely clear and consistent with everything I’ve ever said,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“But the point we’re at now is very close to the bone and that’s why we need to de-escalate”.
“It doesn’t mean we walk away from the problems, it doesn’t mean we don’t recognise the threat that Israel is under, which is very real, but this escalation is getting to a point where the right thing now to do is to de-escalate, have a ceasefire and make sure we can progress in a different way.”
Hezbollah fires rocket toward Tel Aviv
Warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by Israel's air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the military said.
The warning sirens also sounded in other areas of central Israel, including Netanya City. There were no reports of damage or casualties and the military said there was no change to civil defence instructions for central Israel.
This is the first time Hezbollah has targeted Tel Aviv in central Israel since it began launching attacks on the north of Israel late last year following the 7 October Hamas attack and Benjamin Netanyahu’s retaliatory war on Gaza.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants have fired hundreds of missiles and rockets at Israel in recent days as months of conflict across the border with southern Lebanon has intensified sharply.
The Israeli military has been conducting its heaviest air strikes of the war this week, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of targets deep inside Lebanon that have killed more than 560 people and wounded more than 1,800.
Hezbollah confirms death of missile chief in Israeli strike
A top Hezbollah commander was killed during Israel’s airstrikes on Lebanon, the militia group confirmed this morning.
The Iran-backed group said Ibrahim Mohammad Qobeissi, the alleged commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit, was killed in a strike on a southern suburb of Beirut. He was 62.
The group in a statement said Qobeissi “achieved martyrdom on the path to Jerusalem”.Israel said Qobeissi had orchestrated a 2000 attack when three Israeli soldiers were abducted and killed.
Israel-Hezbollah conflict timeline: Everything that’s happened since 7 October
Fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah are growing, with the Israeli military launching fresh strikes on Lebanon after the deadliest day for the country since at least 2006.
A rapid escalation has taken place following a series of exploding device attacks last week, in which pagers and walkie-talkies blew up around Lebanon. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack.
Fifty children are among more than 560 dead so far this week following Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
The Independent takes a look at the recent timeline of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and an ally of Hamas in Gaza.
Israel-Hezbollah conflict timeline: Everything that’s happened since 7 October
Strikes between Hezbollah and Israel are ramping up, fuelling fears of an all-out war
Senior Hezbollah commander killed in rocket strike
An Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed a senior commander of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon on Tuesday as cross-border rocket attacks by both sides increased fears of a full-fledged war.
“We seek peace for all and have no intention of conflict with any country ... Iran opposes war and emphasizes the need for an immediate cessation of military conflict in Ukraine,” Pezeshkian said.
Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war with Ukraine and has said it is preparing to sign a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with the Islamic state.
Iran has brokered secret talks between Russia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels to transfer anti-ship missiles to that militant group, three Western and regional sources said, a development that highlights Tehran’s deepening ties to Moscow.
Hezbollah confirms launching missile at Tel Aviv
Hezbollah said it launched a surface-to-surface rocket targeting Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, saying the Israeli intelligence agency was responsible for assassinating its commanders and blowing up its pagers and walkie-talkies.
The Iran-backed group said it fired a Qadr-110 medium-range ballistic missile to target the headquarters this morning, in its first attack on central Israel since the Gaza war began last October.
Israel said the projectile was intercepted by its air defences.
The Israeli military has been conducting its heaviest airstrikes of the war this week on Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of targets deep inside the country. More than 560 people were killed and 1,800 wounded in strikes on Monday and Tuesday alone.
Turkey’s Erdogan compares Netanyahu to Hitler
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has compared Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler at the UN General Assembly, urging world leaders to stop what he described as the Israeli prime minister’s aggression in the Middle East.
“Just as Hitler was stopped by the alliance of humanity 70 years ago, Netanyahu and his murder network must also be stopped by the alliance of humanity,” Mr Erdogan said yesterday as he criticised the UN for becoming “a dysfunctional structure”.
“I call out the United Nations Security Council, what are you waiting for to prevent the genocide in Gaza? To put a stop to this cruelty and this barbarianism?” he asked.
Israel’s airstrikes have killed more than 41,400 Palestinians and injured over 95,800 others in Gaza in 11 months. The war began in retaliation against Hamas’s surprise attack on southern Israel on 7 October, which killed nearly 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.
Lebanon journalist hit by Israeli airstrike during live broadcast
A journalist in Lebanon sustained injuries after his house was struck by an Israeli projectile while he was broadcasting live.
Fadi Boudia, the editor-in-chief of the Maraya International network, suffered injuries when the blast shattered the windows of his house in eastern Lebanon’s Al-Bekaa region.
The video of the incident is now viral on social media.
Mr Boudia was speaking live on the Iraqi channel iNews about Israel’s bombings in Lebanon, which has killed more than 560 people, Middle East Monitor reported.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments