Lebanon-Israel latest: Hezbollah confirms Tel Aviv missile attack as Starmer tells Britons to leave Lebanon now

The UK is sending around 700 troops to Cyprus in case an emergency evacuation of Lebanon is required, as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate.

Britons have been urged to leave Lebanon but with airlines suspending flights to the country because of the violence, commercial escape routes could be cut off as the situation deteriorates.

The deployment to Cyprus comes as the government begins the first stage of its contingency plan, with the military team supported by Border Force and Foreign Office officials.

Sir Keir Starmer has called for de-escalation in the Middle East as Israel ramps up its strikes on Lebanon.

“I have long supported Israel’s right to self-defence and that has been absolutely clear and consistent with everything I’ve ever said,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“But the point we’re at now is very close to the bone and that’s why we need to de-escalate.

“It doesn’t mean we walk away from the problems, it doesn’t mean we don’t recognise the threat that Israel is under, which is very real, but this escalation is getting to a point where the right thing now to do is to de-escalate, have a ceasefire and make sure we can progress in a different way.”

The Israeli military has said its fighter jets intercepted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that crossed from Syria.

“The UAV was intercepted … south of the Sea of Galilee. No damage or injuries were reported,” it said.

The foreign secretary David Lammy and the defence secretary John Healey have been calling for British citizens to leave Lebanon for days, with commercial flight operators cancelling flights and options for people to make their own way out narrowing.

Those warnings have now been repeated by the prime minister, with Israel intensifying its strikes across Lebanon, as it aims to hit Hezbollah. More than 560 people have now died around the country, with around 2,000 injured, heightening fears of an all-out war.

Although commercial flights are still operating for now, there are concerns that Israel could bomb the international airport in Beirut – or the roads to it – like it did in the 2006 war against Hezbollah, which could cut off British citizens from their only means of escape.

Ministers have been preparing for a possible evacuation of the up to 10,000 Britons in Lebanon, with 700 troops being deployed to Cyprus to ensure they are ready if an emergency airlift is needed. Moving at this speed – and making it clear to the public what is happening – has likely been informed of the chaotic scenes during the UK troop withdrawal/evacuation from Kabul when the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021.

The scenes of people trying to claim onto the wheels of planes while thousands rushed to cram up against fences to plead for help will be seared into the minds of the government, they will not want a repeat.

While such an evacuation is unlikely to be imminent, ministers will know the situation can change quickly. There would be an obvious preference to conduct any emergency evacuation via military planes – as it would be fastest. But UK forces may end up needing to rely on Royal Navy ships waiting in the area, depending on how the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah progress.

Sir Keir Starmer has urged Britons still in Lebanon to “leave immediately” as Israel intensifies its strikes against Hezbollah.

Speaking on a flight to the United Nations HQ in New York, Sir Keir said: “The most important message from me to British nationals in Lebanon is to leave immediately. It is important that we’ve been really, really clear: now is the time to leave.”

Sir Keir Starmer rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of the UK government’s decision to suspend some arms export licences to Israel amid concerns of violation of humanitarian law.

The Israeli prime minister called the decision “misguided” after the new Labour government suspended about 30 out of a total of 350 arms export licences to Israel.

The licences were suspended after a UK assessment suggested they could be used to breach international rules.

Sir Keir told LBC ahead of his UN General Assembly speech that Israel was an “important ally” but said Britain had to comply with international rules.

“I have long supported Israel’s right to self-defence and that has been absolutely clear and consistent with everything I’ve ever said,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“But the point we’re at now is very close to the bone and that’s why we need to de-escalate”.

“It doesn’t mean we walk away from the problems, it doesn’t mean we don’t recognise the threat that Israel is under, which is very real, but this escalation is getting to a point where the right thing now to do is to de-escalate, have a ceasefire and make sure we can progress in a different way.”

Warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by Israel’s air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the military said.

The warning sirens also sounded in other areas of central Israel, including Netanya City. There were no reports of damage or casualties and the military said there was no change to civil defence instructions for central Israel.

This is the first time Hezbollah has targeted Tel Aviv in central Israel since it began launching attacks on the north of Israel late last year following the 7 October Hamas attack and Benjamin Netanyahu’s retaliatory war on Gaza.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants have fired hundreds of missiles and rockets at Israel in recent days as months of conflict across the border with southern Lebanon has intensified sharply.

The Israeli military has been conducting its heaviest air strikes of the war this week, targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of targets deep inside Lebanon that have killed more than 560 people and wounded more than 1,800.

A top Hezbollah commander was killed during Israel’s airstrikes on Lebanon, the militia group confirmed this morning.

The Iran-backed group said Ibrahim Mohammad Qobeissi, the alleged commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile unit, was killed in a strike on a southern suburb of Beirut. He was 62.

The group in a statement said Qobeissi “achieved martyrdom on the path to Jerusalem”.Israel said Qobeissi had orchestrated a 2000 attack when three Israeli soldiers were abducted and killed.

Fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah are growing, with the Israeli military launching fresh strikes on Lebanon after the deadliest day for the country since at least 2006.

A rapid escalation has taken place following a series of exploding device attacks last week, in which pagers and walkie-talkies blew up around Lebanon. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attack.

Fifty children are among more than 560 dead so far this week following Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

The Independent takes a look at the recent timeline of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and an ally of Hamas in Gaza.