'Situation in Lebanon getting worse,' says UK foreign secretary, urging nationals to leave country

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy advised British nationals in Lebanon to evacuate immediately, stating on Tuesday that "the situation in Lebanon is volatile and getting worse."

In a statement on X, Lammy announced, "The UK government is providing an option for British nationals to leave now."

"My message is clear — take it. Your safety is my priority, and foreign office teams in London and Beirut have been working around the clock to provide support, including increasing the number of commercial flights and securing seats for you to leave," he emphasized.

He added that contingency planning for various scenarios in the region is ongoing, but British nationals "should not wait for these."

"We know that events can escalate with little warning, and the situation on the ground could become much, much more dangerous. This means there's no guarantee that another option will become available," he warned.

Early Tuesday, the Israeli army shelled several southern Lebanese towns, coinciding with Tel Aviv's announcement of a “limited” ground operation in southern Lebanon.

On Monday evening, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon over the past 24 hours had reached 95, with 172 injured.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched extensive airstrikes against what it identifies as Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, resulting in more than 1,057 deaths and over 2,950 injuries, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in cross-border warfare since the onset of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a broader regional war.