OR tension between Israel and Hezbollah has already increased. From Lebanon, the civilian population is already being evacuated in all directions, while nationals of other countries are being stressed that it would be better to leave as soon as possible.

This is also the main appeal of the British government today, with the prime minister Keir Starmer to ask the British to “leave Lebanon here and now”. It is estimated that more than 10,000 British nationals are in the area, a number that increases the difficulty of evacuation.

The immediate actions of the British government

Characteristic of the urgency is that Defense Secretary John Healey left the Labor conference in Liverpool earlier yesterday to hold an emergency meeting with ministers of state, intelligence chiefs and diplomats in London to organize the government’s removal plan.

Already 700 soldiers of the British army are heading to Cyprus and the United Kingdom military base in the country, in order to facilitate and speed up the evacuation process. It should be noted that two warships of the British Navy are already in Cyprus, while the Royal Air Force (RAF) also has planes and helicopters on standby.

In his official announcements, the British Defense Secretary said that “the government is ensuring that all preparations are in place to serve British nationals should the situation deteriorate”, while also thanking the British mission, which is deployed in the region, “for their dedication and professionalism”.

Criticism at home about the possibility of a chaotic evacuation, as in Afghanistan

But the first questions about the evacuation process have already started. The main fear is not to repeat the plan to remove 15,000 people from Afghanistan in 2021, when the Taliban also took power, which was strongly criticized as “chaotic and wrong”.

Prime Minister Starmer said from New York and the UN General Assembly that “the point I want to make absolutely clear is that now is the time for you to leave”, addressing British Lebanese nationals.

At the same time, much earlier, Foreign Minister David Lammy had warned citizens to leave the area while commercial planes were still flying. And while the main message from the British side, apart from the immediate removal of British citizens from Lebanon, is also “restraint and de-escalation of the tension on the border between Israel and Lebanon”, leading British officials today express their fears that the country is heading towards a “total war”.