‘It’s time for Brits to get out’ says former Lebanon Ambassador
Tom Fletcher, former British ambassador to Lebanon, speaks with Jon Sopel about the UK government advising citizens to leave the country.
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"All British nationals should leave Lebanon now."
The UK government couldn't have been any clearer in their messaging to Brits living in Lebanon on the weekend, as tensions grow between Israel and Hezbollah.
Tom Fletcher, former British Ambassador to Lebanon, agrees, telling The News Agents "It's time to get out. People should be getting on the plane now."
It all comes back to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, which is now threatening to spill over to other parts of the Middle East, particularly Lebanon and Iran.
The US, France and Germany are among other countries to have advised their citizens to leave.
On 30 July, Israel defence minister Yoav Gallant claimed the country had eliminated Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur in a "precise" operation.
"We don't know for sure where or when an attack will come, from Hezbollah or from Israel, whoever chooses to escalate next," Fletcher tells Jon Sopel on the latest episode of The News Agents.
"What you're looking at the whole time is those trigger warnings. You never want to be too late on that response, but we are at that stage."
The threat of conflict between Israel and Iran (which backs Hezbollah) is also growing, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning of "dangerous outcomes" if either side escalates military action.