Britons have told the BBC they are struggling to get out of Lebanon, as Sir Keir Starmer repeats his call for UK nationals to leave.
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00:00Britons have told the BBC they are struggling to get out of Lebanon,
00:03as Sir Keir Starmer repeats his call for UK nationals to leave.
00:08The UK has urged British nationals to leave immediately because of the escalation in
00:13fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Speaking to BBC News, the prime minister
00:18said Britons still in the country should, leave now.
00:22It's very important, the UK and allied nations have called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire
00:28in Lebanon, to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement.
00:34Speaking to the BBC's political editor Chris Mason at the UN in New York, Sir Keir said the
00:40situation in Lebanon was escalating and he urged Britons to, leave now, without waiting for an
00:45evacuation. The prime minister said he would not go into detail about evacuation plans,
00:51but contingency measures were in place. The government has sent about 700 additional
00:57military personnel to Cyprus in case an emergency evacuation is required.
01:02Britons in Lebanon have spoken of their difficulty in leaving the country.
01:07BBC News understands there are between 4,000 and 6,000 UK nationals including
01:13dependents in Lebanon. When the BBC visited Beirut Rafiq Hariri International Airport,
01:19the only civilian airport in the country, most flights were cancelled after international
01:24airlines suspended flights to and from the city. Middle East Airlines, as well Iraqi Airways and
01:30Iran Air, are the only companies still operating at the moment.