Sir Keir Starmer is urging British nationals to leave Lebanon after an escalation in violence left almost 500 people dead.
The British prime minister said helicopters were ready and 700 troops would be deployed to Cyprus in case of an emergency evacuation.
It comes as Israel continues to bomb the Middle Eastern country in a recent escalation against Hezbollah operatives, who have retaliated.
Lebanese officials claimed on Monday (September 23) that at least 35 children and 58 women were among those killed in the deadliest day of bombings they’ve seen in almost 20 years. The violence has also displaced thousands.
While travelling to the United Nations general assembly in New York, Starmer said: “The most important message from me this evening is to British nationals in Lebanon, to leave immediately and I just want to reinforce that.
“Yes, we are ramping up the contingency plans. I think that you would expect that in light of the escalation.
“But it is important that we be really, really clear: now is the time to leave.
“More broadly, I am worried about the situation and I think we need to be clear we need de-escalation, we need a ceasefire, we need to pull back from the brink.
“I think that will be amongst the first topics we discuss in New York.”
Despite calls for peace and a de-escalation of tensions, Israel has vowed to continue “striking hard” in Lebanon. Its continuing onslaught in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest evacuation plans.
How many UK nationals are in Lebanon?
Reports suggest more than 10,000 British nationals are in Lebanon despite increased calls for them to leave.
Commercial flights to and from Lebanon are still running, but that might change quickly if the situation escalates further.
Thousands of UK citizens are expected to leave the country if the conflict worsens.
What should Brits in Lebanon do
The official line is to leave while you still can.
The Foreign Office says: “If you are currently in Lebanon, we encourage you to leave, while commercial options remain available.”
Brits in Lebanon are being encouraged to keep up to date with local and international media, and to have a personal emergency plan “that does not rely on the UK Government”.
How does the UK evacuate its citizens?
The UK Government can sometimes support nationals impacted by crises abroad depending on the situation.
The Foreign Office says it can sometimes work with airlines to arrange evacuations. “In extreme and rare circumstances”, officials can help with military aircraft or vessels.
The Foreign Office website says: “You should not expect HMG [His Majesty’s Government] to evacuate you and should ensure you have your own emergency plans should you need to leave a country.”
Mr Starmer has already said around 700 troops will be on standby in Cyprus should the situation escalate. Reports suggest helicopters would be involved.
When was the last time the UK evacuated its citizens?
The UK has been involved in many previous evacuations.
These include the evacuation of 200 UK nationals from Gaza and at least 2,197 people from various Western nations from Sudan in 2023.
