Flight chartered for British citizens to escape Lebanon

British citizens seeking to flee Lebanon have described being in a "state of terror" as Israel has launched a ground invasion against Hezbollah - with the UK government having chartered a flight out of the country for later today.

- ALEX CROFT

Victoria Lupton, 37, will leave Lebanon with her young family today. "Nobody in the country feels safe. Everybody is living in a state of terror, and it's intensifying every day - every day is feeling like a week," Ms Lupton. “I think there now is a full-scale war, at least between Lebanon and and Israel."

"I mean, Israel just launched a ground invasion, so I don't know how you can get much more full-scale than that," Ms Lupton added.

The foreign secretary, David Lammy, said: “I intend to put on a charter flight using commercial services tomorrow [Wednesday], and I'm seeking more capacity over the coming days so that people can return to our country over the next few days whilst the airport is still open.

"But I have warned and cautioned now for months that we have seen, in previous crises between Israel and Lebanon, the airport close, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to get people out in speedy fashion. And of course, this is now turning into a very, very concerning situation on the ground."