UK deploys 700 troops to Akrotiri to support possible evacuation of Lebanon

The UK has started deploying additional military personnel to Cyprus as a first step in ramping up preparations for a possible mass evacuation of Lebanon, following the rise in tension with Israel.

The 700 troops will join the British forces stationed at the RAF Akrotiri base, which would be a crucial staging point at any evacuation.

It is believed that up to 10,000 British nationals are still in Lebanon, despite repeated calls for them to leave the country.

This call was reiterated by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday night, as he was leaving his party’s conference in Liverpool for the UN General Assembly in New York.

Speaking of ramping up the contingency plans, he added: ‘It is important that we be really, really clear: now is the time to leave.’

The evacuation planning was discussed at a COBRA meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Defence Secretary John Healey.

Source: Cyprus News Agency