Turkey has joined a growing number of countries evacuating its citizens from Lebanon as Israel continues its invasion of southern Lebanon.
More than 2,000 Turkish citizens and foreign nationals reportedly boarded a military ship on Wednesday evening as escalating conflict swept the region.
At least 2,000 people have reportedly been killed in Lebanon, including 127 children and 261 women, after Israel began its campaign in the Middle Eastern country in a recent escalation against Hezbollah operatives.
Millions of Lebanese civilians have also been displaced, with no end to Israel’s bombings in sight.
The latest round of evacuations came days after the UK chartered its fourth flight to evacuate British nationals from Lebanon, but no further flights are scheduled.
The last flight to leave had been scheduled “due to high demand for places on commercial flights, and has enabled more than 250 additional people to leave in the last week … However, demand has now significantly reduced and this Sunday’s flight is currently the only one scheduled”.
At the end of September, Sir Keir 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.
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 42,000 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 were in Lebanon when the conflict erupted.
More than 250 people have left so far on chartered flights, and others are being urged to leave while they can.
Commercial flights to and from Lebanon appear to still be running, but cancellations are possible and the travel situation remains uncertain.
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.
