Britons in Lebanon could be evacuated by more than 1,000 British troops on standby as fears of Hezbollah-Israel war grow | UK News

More than 1,000 British soldiers are on standby to help evacuate British nationals from Lebanon as fears grow that Israel's war in Gaza could escalate into a wider regional conflict, according to Sky News.

Hundreds of soldiers, Royal Marines, sailors and pilots have already been deployed to reinforce the main Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Cyprus, which will act as a hub for all evacuation missions.

In Britain, hundreds of soldiers are preparing to deploy to the area in the short term.

There are growing expectations within Whitehall that Iran and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah will soon launch retaliatory attacks against Israel, which could prompt the Israeli government to order a wider attack on neighboring Lebanon.

The last time the two countries fought a war was in 2006. This crisis has previously led to large-scale British evacuations at sea.

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3:17 Growing calls for foreigners to leave Lebanon

This time, Whitehall officials have drawn up a number of contingency plans, including the deployment of two warships, HMS Duncan (a Type 45 destroyer) and RFA Cardigan Bay (a large support ship).

Both ships are already in the area and could be dispatched to the Lebanese coast to help rescue thousands of British nationals living in that country.

Image: The Royal Navy destroyer HMS Duncan in Istanbul in 2018. Photo: Reuters

Another option would be to deploy RAF transport aircraft from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to Beirut, which could be similar in scale to the operation that evacuated British passport holders and eligible Afghans after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital Kabul in 2021.

The crisis-sensitive Foreign Office, Department for Commonwealth and Development has been urging British nationals to leave Lebanon for days while commercial routes remain open.

Image: People at Beirut-Rafic Al Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon. Photo: Reuters

However, several airlines are already canceling flights.

The situation has become volatile since Hamas attacked Iran-backed militants on October 7, with Hezbollah militants and the Israel Defense Forces embroiled in cross-border clashes that have led to Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

Read more: Britons urged to leave Lebanon as Middle East tensions rise Israel attacks Hezbollah targets 'deep' in Lebanon

Tensions rose in late July when Israel claimed Hezbollah had launched a rocket attack on a soccer stadium, killing 12 Israeli children and teenagers.

The strikes led the Israeli military to kill a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon last week.

Within hours, Hamas' top political leader was assassinated while visiting Tehran. Iran and Hamas blamed the attack on Israel.

Israeli authorities have not officially confirmed or denied this claim.

Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah have vowed revenge. A massive diplomatic effort led by the United States is underway to prevent a full-scale Middle East war from breaking out.

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In April, a bigger crisis was averted when Iran launched its first massive missile and drone strike against Israel in retaliation for an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria that killed several senior Iranian commanders.

Israel's air defenses, supported by the United States, Britain and other allies, were able to destroy most of the missiles launched by Iran.

Preparations are underway to re-defend Israel's skies, but a dual attack from Iran and Hezbollah could be overwhelming.

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