The foreign secretary has cautioned that many UK citizens must leave Lebanon quickly or they may get stuck in a conflict area after a rocket strike in the Golan Heights.
An attack from a rocket at a sports field in Majdal Shams, which is under Israeli control, resulted in the deaths of 12 youths on Saturday, heightening concerns about a potential new conflict in the area.
Israel claimed that the attack was carried out by the Hezbollah militant group, which is based in Lebanon and supported by Iran, despite the group denying the allegation.
In the House of Commons, Foreign Secretary David Lammy advised the approximately 16,000 British residents in Lebanon to “depart” while “commercial flights are operational”.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer led a Cobra emergency meeting due to rising tensions in the Middle East.
The attack on Saturday is the most lethal event on the unofficial border between Israel and Lebanon since tensions increased between Israel and Hezbollah in October.
About 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking Druze religious and ethnic group reside in Majdal Shams, one of the four towns in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Tuesday saw a late explosion in a Beirut suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold.
The Israeli military confirmed it conducted an airstrike to target the Hezbollah leader behind the assault on Majdal Shams.
Hezbollah, a powerful militant and political group located in Lebanon, is funded, supplied, and trained by Iran, which is situated to the north of Israel.
According to Mr. Lammy, the government may not be able to ensure immediate evacuation of everyone if the conflict intensifies.
He mentioned collaborating with Foreign Office consular teams to ensure readiness for all possible outcomes.
He included: “During a crisis like this, individuals might have to stay indoors and past events show that it is better to depart before commercial flights cease than to risk being stuck in a conflict area.”
In conclusion, I have a straightforward message for British citizens in Lebanon: depart.
Mr Lammy informed Members of Parliament that a registration scheme has been initiated for UK nationals in Lebanon to record their location.
We believe approximately 16,000 UK citizens are in the area, and encouraging registration helps us keep track of their whereabouts. We recommend that individuals take advantage of the numerous commercial flights departing from Lebanon to return to Europe and their own country.
Conservative Shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell cautioned about the possibility of increased tension along the border between Lebanon and Israel, which is designated as the Blue Line.
He stated that expanding this painful conflict is not desired and opening a new front would not benefit anyone.
In order to prevent it, everyone must exercise self-control.
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