The British citizens they were told to leave immediately Lebanon amid escalating violence between the Israel and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.

In a statement issued last Friday night, the Foreign Office said: “British citizens in Lebanon should leave now” and added: “You should take the next available flight.”

“We are working to increase capacity and secure places for British citizens to leave,” he stressed.

British citizens should register their presence on the ministry’s website to keep up to date with the latest developments, he continued.

This announcement follows yesterday’s statement by the British Defense Minister John Healey that the airstrikes and rocket launches, the fire between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, represent “a risk of this escalating into something much wider and much more serious”.

Healey also noted that “his first concern remains the safety of British citizens in Lebanon” and added that “the travel advice remains the same – do not go to Lebanon. If you were in Lebanon then leave and there are still commercial flights leaving so people can do that.”

Around 5,000 British citizens are in Lebanon, where, according to the UN, more than 90,000 Lebanese have been displaced in recent days.

Asked about the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion of the country, Healey replied: “We are watching this very carefully. This is an Israeli issue.

“At the moment it’s about airstrikes. There are currently rockets from the Lebanese Hezbollah heading towards Israel. This conflict serves no one.”