Royal Navy and Marines planning 'Dunkirk-style' evacuation plan to rescue up to 16,000 Britons stranded in Lebanon amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran
The evacuation, codenamed Operation Meteoric, would be led by the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. British Typhoon fighter jets flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus would provide 'top cover' for stranded Britons.
Yesterday a government official was photographed holding a document outlining the role of immigration officials in the rescue bid.
If the mission goes ahead, Border Force (UKBF) officials will be embedded in military teams operating in the Middle East.
As many as 16,000 UK citizens remain in Lebanon – despite pleas from the Foreign Office for them to leave as soon as possible.
British Typhoon fighter jets flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus would provide 'top cover' for stranded Britons
Thousands of soldiers line up to be evacuated from Dunkirk at the end of May in 1940
Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral procession of late commander Ali Jamal Aldin Jawad, killed in an Israeli strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 6, 2024
The country is at the centre of conflict in the Middle East, as hostilities between Israel and Iranian-backed Lebanon-based Hezbollah fighters intensify.
A full-scale military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah – a considerably larger force than Hamas – could see Britons caught in the crossfire.
In such a scenario, commercial airlines would almost certainly cease flying in and out of Lebanon.
UK nationals would then face an agonising decision – either to hunker down wherever they are until the fighting subsides or to evacuate.
Operation Meteoric would involve HMS Duncan, a Type 45 destroyer currently sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the supply ship RFA Cardigan Bay.
Type 45 air-defence destroyer HMS Duncan is on standby in the eastern Mediterranean to evacuate British citizens in Lebanon
The RFA Cardigan Bay, a transport ship that can deploy landing craft, is on standby in the region
Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel on Sunday, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters
As the Mail revealed in April, Royal Marines from 30 Commando have conducted reconnaissance along the Lebanese coast to choose a landing site.
Border Force officials would process UK nationals as they boarded the Royal Navy and RFA vessels.
However, the document seen yesterday raises questions over the readiness of Border Force to respond to the deepening security crisis.
It asks: 'Will there be enough UKBF resource? How long could UKBF sustain this operation? Do they have the capability to process 24/7?'
Additional Border Force officials have also been sent to the region to advise UK nationals on the safest land routes out of Lebanon and obtaining the necessary documentation.
Operation Meteoric has been likened to Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940 when they were surrounded by German forces.
A ship full of soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk. The mission was necessary after Nazi forces had swept through Europe
In his most recent statement on Lebanon, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: 'Tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
'My message to UK nationals is clear — leave now.
'A widening of this conflict is in nobody's interest – the consequences could be catastrophic. That's why we continue to call for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution.'
British warships and aircraft are put on standby to help evacuate UK citizens from Lebanon
Several Royal Air Force transport helicopters and two naval ships are on standby in the eastern Mediterranean including the Type 45 air-defence destroyer HMS Duncan and the RFA Cardigan Bay, a transport ship that can deploy landing craft.
The Ministry of Defence said it is deploying military personnel 'to provide embassies with operational support to help British nationals'.
Foreign secretary David Lammy has urged British citizens in Lebanon to 'leave now', as the US, France, Canada, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Jordan gave their citizens the same instructions.
The US embassy in Lebanon told its citizens to 'book any ticket available to them' out of the country, adding: 'We recommend that US citizens who choose not to depart Lebanon prepare contingency plans for emergency situations and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time.'
'In a highly volatile security context', French nationals were told to avoid travelling to Lebanon, and those already in the country were told 'leave as soon as possible'.
Brits in Lebanon told to 'leave NOW' as crisis in the Middle East threatens to 'deteriorate rapidly', foreign secretary warns - with UK military scrambled to aid in evacuation of British nationals
- Armed forces personnel are heading to the region to support the evacuation
- Royal Air Force has transport helicopters on stand-by in case of worsening crisis
British nationals in Lebanon have been told to 'leave now' amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, as ministers warn the 'situation could deteriorate rapidly'.
Armed forces personnel are heading to the region to support embassies helping UK citizens, while Border Force has sent officers to aid consular operations, the Foreign Office said.
Meanwhile, consular experts have been drafted in to assist with planning and responding to queries from concerned Brits.
The Royal Air Force is also putting transport helicopters on stand-by, while landing ship RFA Cardigan Bay and HMS Duncan are in the Mediterranean to help allies with humanitarian efforts.
Mr Lammy said: 'Tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
British nationals in Lebanon have been told to 'leave now' amid heightened tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Pictured: Protestors burn an Israeli flag in Iran, which backs Hezbollah
Escalating crisis: Supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah protest the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah top commander Fuad Shukr, in Sidon, Lebanon
A portrait of slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is displayed during a a demonstration denouncing his killing, in the Lebanese coastal city of Sidon
'While we are working round the clock to strengthen our consular presence in Lebanon, my message to British nationals there is clear - leave now.
The appeal follows visits by Mr Healey and Mr Lammy to Qatar and Lebanon.
Both met Lebanese PM Najib Mikati.
Defence Secretary John Healey and Mr Lammy in Lebanon, where they met Prime Minister Najib Mikati
Thousands engulf a truck carrying the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard in Tehran
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei leads a prayer over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prayed over Mr Haniyeh's coffin during his funeral at Tehran University while Iran's new president Masoud Pezeshkian stood next to him.
Iran supports Hamas, as well as Hezbollah and other Palestinian terrorist groups.
Tensions have increased on Israel's northern border with Lebanon after 12 children and teenagers from the Druze community were killed by a Hezbollah rocket attack in the Golan Heights.
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