Britain on Wednesday started moving troops to Cyprus to help its nationals leave Lebanon.
This came up as Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that the escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was pushing the region towards the brink.
The government said in a statement that 700 troops would travel to Cyprus, bolstering its presence in the area where it already has two Royal Navy ships, aircraft and transport helicopters.
Defence Secretary John Healey said “events in the past hours and days have demonstrated how volatile this situation is, which is why our message is clear, British nationals should leave now. Our government is ensuring all preparations are in place to support British nationals should the situation deteriorate.”
