A SINGLE plane evacuating Brits has left Beirut as civilians scramble to flee the warzone in Lebanon.
It comes as the Middle East sits on the brink of all-out war as Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters face off in a bloody showdown.
ReutersAn airplane takes off at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport as smoke rises over Beirut’s southern suburbs after a strike[/caption]
EPASmoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike near Maroun El Ras village in southern Lebanon[/caption]
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the first charter flight taking British nationals out of Lebanon has now departed from Beirut.
But it’s understood there was not enough room on the plane for everyone wanting to escape the warzone.
Tensions have hit boiling point after Israel staged a land invasion of Lebanon on Monday and Iran last night launched a barrage of 181 missiles.
Lammy said: “We have arranged another flight for tomorrow, and further flights over the coming days for as long as there is demand and it is safe to do so.”
He urged British nationals still in Lebanon to register with the Foreign Office and leave the country immediately.
But it is feared flights from the Rafic Hariri international airport may be halted by this weekend.
Brit Isobel Taper, 31, said she grabbed her stuff and “just ran” as blasts rang out close to where she lives.
Taper, who is studying at the American Univerity of Beirut, told Sky News: “Everybody’s been messaging my parents, family, friends… it’s been a lot of people.
“I’ve brought the bare minimum, I just ran, got everything ready and came here.”
The road to the airport goes through a Hezbollah stronghold and the UK government is not helping citizens get to there.
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