Blair defends Lebanon evacuation plans
Tony Blair has rejected criticism that the British government has been too slow in getting its citizens out of the Lebanon.
The prime minister said six ships were in the region preparing for an evacuation in the next few days, while about 100 of the most vulnerable people have already been flown out to Cyprus.
The Foreign Office estimates that 10,000 Britons are in the Lebanon, many of them in Beirut, where hostilities between Israel and militant group Hizbullah have been rapidly escalating for the past week.
Six days of air strikes by the Israeli military have left more than 200 Lebanese civilians dead, as it searches for two soldiers seized by Hizbullah during a raid last Wednesday. Hizbullah has responded with strikes on Israeli territory, including the city of Haifa.
People have been fleeing Lebanon on buses to Damascus, in Syria, for the past few days, and many countries have organised for their citizens to be evacuated – both France and Italy have already moved 1,600 Europeans by ship to Cyprus.
Speaking to reporters this morning, Mr Blair said the government had “acted as quickly as we possibly can” – the most vulnerable people had already been airlifted out, while the first ship was due to arrive today to take “far larger numbers” out of the country.
“It is a big logistical operation, and requires reinforcement in Cyprus [to cope with the evacuees], but I can assure you we are doing everything we can to ensure the evacuation happens as quickly as possible,” he said.
In an emergency statement to the House of Commons yesterday, Foreign Office minister Kim Howells told MPs that the government’s “most pressing concern in this crisis is the welfare and safety of the thousands of British nationals in Lebanon”.
But he added: “The House should not underestimate the scale of this task or the numbers involved.”
Royal Navy destroyers the York and the Gloucester were now offshore and others, including HMS Illustrious and HMS Bulwark, were heading towards the eastern Mediterranean, he said.
“We judge that departure by sea is the safest and most practical option for British nationals wishing to leave,” he said.
Mr Howells also repeated Mr Blair’s call for the urgent release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers and an end to the attacks on Israeli towns and cities.
He warned the support given to Hizbullah by Syria and Iran was “encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region, and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach”.
However, Mr Howells also urged Israel to act in “proportionate and measured ways”, to conform to international law, avoid civilian death and suffering and “refrain from acts which destabilise the Lebanese government”.
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