Plans for a ‘Dunkirk-style’ evacuation of up to 16,000 UK nationals from Lebanon are being stepped up.
The evacuation, codenamed Operation Meteoric, would be led by the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. British Typhoon fighter jets flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus would provide ‘top cover’ for stranded Britons.
Yesterday a government official was photographed holding a document outlining the role of immigration officials in the rescue bid.
If the mission goes ahead, Border Force (UKBF) officials will be embedded in military teams operating in the Middle East.
As many as 16,000 UK citizens remain in Lebanon – despite pleas from the Foreign Office for them to leave as soon as possible.
The country is at the centre of conflict in the Middle East, as hostilities between Israel and Iranian-backed Lebanon-based Hezbollah fighters intensify.
A full-scale military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah – a considerably larger force than Hamas – could see Britons caught in the crossfire.
In such a scenario, commercial airlines would almost certainly cease flying in and out of Lebanon.
UK nationals would then face an agonising decision – either to hunker down wherever they are until the fighting subsides or to evacuate.
Operation Meteoric would involve HMS Duncan, a Type 45 destroyer currently sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the supply ship RFA Cardigan Bay.
As the Mail revealed in April, Royal Marines from 30 Commando have conducted reconnaissance along the Lebanese coast to choose a landing site.
Border Force officials would process UK nationals as they boarded the Royal Navy and RFA vessels.
However, the document seen yesterday raises questions over the readiness of Border Force to respond to the deepening security crisis.
It asks: ‘Will there be enough UKBF resource? How long could UKBF sustain this operation? Do they have the capability to process 24/7?’
Additional Border Force officials have also been sent to the region to advise UK nationals on the safest land routes out of Lebanon and obtaining the necessary documentation. Operation Meteoric has been likened to Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940 when they were surrounded by German forces.
In his most recent statement on Lebanon, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: ‘Tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
‘My message to UK nationals is clear — leave now.
‘A widening of this conflict is in nobody’s interest – the consequences could be catastrophic. That’s why we continue to call for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution.’