London, Thanasis Gavos

Around 200 British nationals are expected to leave Lebanon within the day on a chartered flight chartered by the British government.

The flight will depart from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri Airport amid fears in London that the airport may not be operational until the weekend, when dozens of Britons are also believed to be ticketed to leave on a regular commercial flight.

According to the Times, applications for a ticket on the particular flight exceeded the capacity of the aircraft, meaning hundreds of British citizens who were eligible to board will be left behind as the situation in the Middle East escalates dangerously.

It is noted that the charter flight gives priority to vulnerable categories of citizens and their families, who must, however, travel alone and without consular assistance to the airport. Passengers will also have to pay £350 as consideration for a seat on the flight.

A government source did not rule out the Foreign Office organizing more flights “as long as the airport remains open”.

The British fear is that the road leading to the airport could be damaged by Israeli strikes, as it passes through an area that is a Hezbollah stronghold.

So far, however, the Israelis have avoided hitting targets that would affect foreign nationals trying to leave Lebanon, although areas within a few hundred meters of the airport have been hit.

At least 700 British troops at the Akrotiri base in Cyprus, aircraft and helicopters, as well as two Royal Navy ships based in the eastern Mediterranean, remain on alert for the possibility of a Lebanon evacuation operation.