The UK government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid escalating violence.
The plane is due to take off from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday with vulnerable British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 to be prioritised, the Foreign Office said.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the situation in Lebanon “is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly” and the safety of British citizens there “continues to be our utmost priority”.
He added: “That’s why the UK government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.”
While the government will pay to charter the flight, those wanting to get on it will be expected to pay a fee of £350 per seat.
Commercial flights are still operating and the Foreign Office has been working with partners to increase capacity to enable British nationals to leave, the department said.
Image: Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Monday. Pic: AP
The Iran-backed militant group responded by saying it is ready to fight should Israel launch a ground offensive, with fears mounting that the escalating hostilities could result in a full-scale regional war.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Lammy said the government had set up a rapid response unit to help the estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon, with 700 troops stationed in Cyprus and seats booked on commercial flights to bring them home.
The foreign secretary urged those wanting to flee to make use of this help immediately, saying the government might not be able to protect them if the conflict escalates.
Asked what he would say to British nationals who have not yet taken his advice, he said: “I urge them to leave because the situation on the ground is fast-moving.
“While we will do everything we can to protect British nationals and those plans are in place to do so, we cannot anticipate the circumstances of the speed with which we could do that if things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days.”
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It emerged today that Israeli special forces are conducting probing operations inside Lebanon, ahead of a potential ground assault.
There were reports of heavy artillery fire in border towns in southern Lebanon on Monday night, after Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant warned “the next stage in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon”.
Mr Lammy said he spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday evening and they are both “concerned” about the situation and are urging de-escalation.
Image: David Lammy urged British citizens in Lebanon to make use of the help immediately. Pic: PA
Asked if military aid could be sent to Israel if it is attacked by Iran, Mr Lammy said he met with the Iranian foreign minister last week and “I was urging Iran to show restraint”.
“As you would expect over the coming hours, we will continue to be in touch with Iran,” he added.
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On whether he agrees with US President Joe Biden that the killing of Hassan Nasrallahwas a “measure of justice”, Mr Lammy said: “I don’t mourn the death of the head of a proscribed terrorist organisation, but I do mourn the civilians who have lost their lives in the bloodshed over the last few days.”
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Image: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Image: Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.