UK Ships and Helicopters on Standby as British Nationals Urged to Leave Lebanon
Published on August 5, 2024
Two Royal Navy ships and several Royal Air Force helicopters were put on standby in the eastern Mediterranean over the weekend as the UK government urges British nationals in Lebanon to “leave now.” Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said that the situation could “deteriorate rapidly” in the Middle East as fears grow of all-out war following Israel’s assassination of the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas. Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that the Type 45 air-defence destroyer HMS Duncan and the RFA Cardigan Bay, a transport ship capable of deploying landing craft, are in the region. Military personnel and consular experts have been deployed to the Middle East “to provide embassies with operational support to help British nationals.”...