UK unveils £5m aid package for Lebanon amid deadly air strikes and rocket fire

Development minister Anneliese Dodds has unveiled a £5 million aid package for Unicef in Lebanon.

The announcement late on Wednesday follows deadly air strikes and rocket fire which Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged since the start of the week.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has confirmed the aid will go towards medical supplies, hygiene kits, fuel for water stations, and emergency teams working in the health and nutrition fields.

The Government department also confirmed that Royal Air Force aircraft and helicopters are on standby, with a UK presence at RAF Akrotiri near Limassol in Cyprus, and in the eastern Mediterranean with two ships – RFA Mounts Bay and HMS Duncan.

Border Force and Foreign Office officials, and 700 troops, were deployed to Cyprus on Tuesday.

The minister said her department has reopened its “register your presence” portal, which British nationals in Lebanon can fill in to notify the UK Government of their whereabouts.

She added: “While we continue to urge British nationals to leave and have launched our ‘register your presence portal’ to aid their departure, the UK will always be a strong supporter of the Lebanese people.

“That is why we are providing £5 million to Unicef to support civilians who have been displaced and are facing a humanitarian emergency.

“We need to see an immediate ceasefire from both sides to prevent further civilian casualties and ensure that displaced people can return to their homes.”

Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 51 people and injured more than 220, according to Lebanon’s health minister.

The count comes in addition to 564 who were killed and more than 1,800 wounded in the previous two days, including around 150 women and children, and as the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed a total of 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel nearly a year ago.

The UK Government has estimated approximately 4,000 to 6,000 British nationals remain in Lebanon.

“We need an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah and the implementation of a political plan which allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes to live in peace and security.

“That security will come through diplomacy – not escalation. There is no military solution here.”

Sir Keir told the BBC earlier the same day: “We need the situation to de-escalate but I say to British nationals, ‘don’t wait, leave now’. We are ramping up the contingency plans for an evacuation as you would expect but my message is, ‘don’t wait for that’.

“There are commercial flights still coming out. It is important to leave and to leave now.”