Israel-Lebanon latest: UK readies troops for Lebanon evacuation as Hezbollah rocket targets Tel Aviv
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed more than 560 people, including women and 50 children, says health ministry
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Hundreds of British troops are being sent to Cyprus to prepare for a possible evacuation of thousands of UK nationals from Lebanon, as clashes between Israel and Hezbollah intensify.
Sir Keir Starmer has told British nationals still in Lebanon “now is the time to leave”, with about 700 British troops deploying imminently to assist hundreds of those already out there waiting to help stranded British citizens. Government officials fear that there may be more than 10,000 British citizens still in Lebanon.
It comes as 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.
Israel’s two-day bombardment of southern Lebanon has killed more than 560 people, the majority of them civilians, Lebanon’s health minister said. He described the attacks as “carnage”, which has forced tens of thousands of people to flee southern parts of the country.
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UK nationals told to leave Lebanon ‘immediately’ as situation deteriorates
The UK is sending around 700 troops to Cyprus in case an emergency evacuation of Lebanon is required, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate.
Britons have been urged to leave Lebanon but with airlines suspending flights to the country because of the escalating violence, commercial escape routes could be cut off as the situation deteriorates.
The deployment to Cyprus comes as the government begins the first stage of its contingency plan, with the military team supported by Border Force and Foreign Office officials.
David Hughes reports:
UK nationals told to leave Lebanon ‘immediately’ as 700 troops sent to Cyprus
The deployment of 700 troops, backed up by RAF aircraft and Royal Navy ships, comes as the situation in the Middle East deteriorates
FCDO confirm plan to send 700 troops to Cyprus
Britain said on Tuesday that its nationals should leave Lebanon and continued to advise against all travel to the country, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said.
“Around 700 UK troops will move to Cyprus in the coming hours, as the Government continues to prepare its contingency plans following significant escalation between Israel and Lebanon in recent days,” the office said in a statement.
Jiyeh latest Lebanese coastal town hit by Israeli airstrike
An Israeli strike hit the Lebanese seaside town of Jiyyeh for the first time early on Wednesday, 75 km north of the border with Israel, two security sources said.
UN secretary general says ‘the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza’
The United Nations is shirking its responsibility in preventing rocket attacks into Israel by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday.
Gallant said in a statement on the X social-media platform in a response to comments from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Hezbollah has taken “Lebanon hostage.”
“The UN is neither acknowledging their actions, nor fulfilling its fundamental obligation - preventing Hezbollah attacks and demanding the implementation of resolution 1701” he said of the resolution that requires Hezbollah to disarm.
Guterres earlier said, “Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the people of the world - cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.”
Defence secretary John Healey urges 10,000 Brits to leave Lebanon
The UK is expected to announce that it will send 700 troops to neighbouring Cyprus amid fears of a wider war, according to the BBC.
In Liverpool, John Healey, the defence secretary, left the Labour conference early today to lead a high-level meeting on the crisis in Lebanon.
“Our concern is always for the safety of British nationals,” he said after leaving the COBRA meeting.
“And our advice to them is to leave Lebanon now, that hasn’t changed.
“And this was a meeting simply to make sure that we’ve got plans in place for future developments.”
IRC urges diplomatic solution to Lebanon as death toll increases
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released a statement about its deep concern about the escalating conflict in Lebanon, which has left over 500 people killed.
It read: “The IRC has been working in Lebanon since 2012 delivering relief programmes to Lebanese citizens and refugees. IRC teams in Lebanon are now conducting rapid needs assessments which will support our emergency response to support those affected by the ongoing fighting.
“However, ongoing insecurity may significantly hinder our ability to deliver vital assistance to those in need. IRC staff members and partner organisations have already been directly impacted by the attacks which have forced families to flee their homes.”
Amidst the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the heavily populated areas of Beirut, South and Bekaa, tens of thousands are facing fresh displacement, with over 102,000 people already displaced since October 2023, the charity added.
“In a region already devastated by conflict, displacement, and poverty the last thing civilians need is war. It is essential that humanitarian actors are able to safely assess needs and deliver emergency aid.
“The IRC urges all parties to urgently seek a diplomatic solution and avoid a regional conflagration and more humanitarian suffering. International law must be upheld to protect civilians and aid workers.”
What is Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group hit in ‘double tap’ pager attacks?
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has ramped up since thousands of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives and civilians.
Since Monday when Israel began large-scale strikes on Lebanese territory, 558 people have been killed including 50 children and 94 women.
But what is Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group exchanging fire with Israel?
Tom Watling and Andy Gregory report:
What is Hezbollah, the Lebanese group hit in ‘double tap’ pager attacks?
Israel has declared a ‘new phase of war’ on its border with Lebanon
Lebanon death toll rises to 569 as ‘two dozen killed in Gaza’
At least 569 people were killed, including 50 children and 94 women, in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Monday, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiadtells told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV on Tuesday.
Palestinian officials in Gaza, meanwhile, said new Israeli strikes killed at least two dozen people.
Israel’s military says it will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah away from Lebanon’s border with Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since the Israel-Hamas war began. On Monday, Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, killing nearly 500 people and wounding more than 1,600 others.
Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Hezbollah again launched some 100 projectiles toward Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
Conflict is spreading “dangerously”, says Brazilian president
In a speech at the UN summit, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned the “right of revenge” which he believes is hindering peace talks.
He said the war in Gaza is spreading “dangerously” to Lebanon and repeated his longstanding calls for a ceasefire.
"The right of defence has turned into the right of revenge, which prevents an agreement to release hostages and postpones a ceasefire," Lula told the summit.
Lula repeated his call for a reformation of the UN, saying the body was not succeeding in its job of preventing wars.
Israel open to ideas to de-escalate in Lebanon, says Israel’s UN envoy
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon has said the country prefers a diplomatic solution to a ground invasion in Lebanon after the United States said it was exploring some “concrete ideas” with allies and partners to find a solution.
“As we speak there are important forces trying to come up with ideas and we are open-minded for that,” he told reporters. “We are not eager to start any ground invasion anywhere ... We prefer a diplomatic solution.”
Fierce fighting this week between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah has increased fears that nearly a year of conflict will explode and destabilize the Middle East, where a war between Hamas and Israel is already raging in Gaza.
Israel has said it is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
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