Britain on Tuesday mobilized hundreds of soldiers to the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus to help its nationals evacuate following a significant escalation between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, urging people to leave immediately.
As contingency plans are rolled out to support British nationals in Lebanon and the region, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement around 700 troops, backed by the border force, would move to Cyprus in the coming hours.
The air force also has aircraft and transport helicopters on standby to provide support if necessary, the FCDO added.
"Events in the past hours and days have demonstrated how volatile this situation is, which is why our message is clear, British nationals should leave now," said Defense Secretary John Healey.
“We continue to urge all sides to step back from conflict to prevent further tragic loss of life. Our government is ensuring all preparations are in place to support British Nationals should the situation deteriorate,” he said.
During the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, tens of thousands of foreigners were evacuated by sea to Cyprus in a fleet of commercial and military vessels, many supplied by American, British, European and other naval forces.
Fierce fighting this week between Israel and Hezbollah has increased fears that nearly a year of conflict will explode and destabilize the Middle East, where a war between Hamas and Israel is already raging in Gaza.
Israel has said it is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which like Hamas is also backed by Iran.
