The government confirmed 700 troops would be deployed to Cyprus to be on hand to support any possible evacuation that could be triggered…reports Asian Lite News
The Prime Minister has not ruled out deploying troops on the ground in Lebanon to help get British nationals to safety amid frantic planning for a potential evacuation.
Starmer and the UK delegation in New York are seeking a calming of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, amid fears the conflict could escalate in to war. Up to 6,000 British nationals in Lebanon have been warned repeatedly to leave while scheduled flights are still available. Seven hundred UK troops have been deployed to nearby Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean to be on hand for a full-blown evacuation.
Speaking to the BBC from New York, the Prime Minister said the Government is “ramping up the contingency plans for an evacuation”.
On Tuesday night the Government confirmed 700 troops would be deployed to Cyprus to be on hand to support any possible evacuation that could be triggered. And, asked if he would deploy troops directly on the ground in Lebanon to help get people out safely, Starmer did not rule it out.
“I’m not going to get into the details of evacuation plans. As you would expect, we put contingency measures in place,” he said. “But here in New York, in the UN General Assembly, I’m being very, very clear this is a dangerous situation now and all parties need to pull back from the brink, to de-escalate. But I am very concerned about the increasing escalation which is not just day on day, but almost hour on hour at the moment.”
Pressed for further detail the PM’s spokesman said further steps “depend on the situation and how it evolves” but “stand[s] ready” to ramp up contingency plans if needed.
The PM urged, again, for British nationals to leave Lebanon “now” – making use of commercial flights while they are still available. There is due to be an emergency debate on Lebanon on Wednesday night at the UN Security Council where Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to speak.
A diplomatic source, present in New York, said efforts to calm tensions in the Middle East had stepped up with the Prime Minister’s arrival late on Tuesday night.
“Now the PM is in town it’s definitely raised it up a level. The Foreign Secretary has been talking at the UN and making the case,” they said.
Diplomats are also understood to be queuing up to see Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu when he arrives on Thursday in a bid to talk him into de-escalation.
Hezbollah’s apparent attempted strike on Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning is considered to be a significant escalation in the already-tense situation between Israel and Lebanon.
Diplomatic officials are understood to be anxious to pull back from the brink of what could become an all-out war, with the hope that diplomatic pressure begins to bear down on Israel.
Netanyahu is due to address the UN on Friday. The source said Sir Keir was hoping to see him in New York on Thursday and it is up in the air whether the two will have time to meet.
Netanyahu is travelling to the US with Israeli minister of strategic affairs Ron Dermer who had been due to meet with Mr Lammy – but the meeting has now fallen out of the diary for Wednesday, i understands. Mr Lammy spoke to the Iranian foreign minister on Tuesday in what was the first face-to-face meeting between the two.
It’s also unclear whether the Israeli leader will meet with US President Joe Biden because the President is heading back to Washington, DC to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before the end of the week.
It is understood the Government believes there are between 4,000 and 6,000 British nationals in Lebanon, including dependants. Government sources said the focus of the PM and Foreign Secretary was on de-escalation. But the spokesman said the Government “stand[s] ready” to ramp up contingency plans if needed.
The system is, however, reliant on people telling officials when they leave a country which could pose a problem for the Foreign Office trying to track overseas nationals given a number of people travelled there on holiday over the summer and did not then “check out”.
The Prime Minister also said there would be more guidance coming for British nationals with dependants in Lebanon who are not UK citizens.
The PM also said he was “in constant contact with the Israeli government” and had spoken with the Israeli prime minister several times but not in the last 24 hours.
“The message is really clear, which is, pull back from the brink. This is a message to all sides, pull back from the brink. De-escalate,” he said.
Starmer was in New York speaking at the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
He issued a “call to action” to address the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East as well as the humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan. In his speech, the PM said “repeating cycles of violence like that in the Middle East” must end – warning it is “on the brink”.
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