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Foreign Office to evacuate stranded Britons from Israel
Foreign Office to evacuate stranded Britons from Israel

Telegraph

time11 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Telegraph

Foreign Office to evacuate stranded Britons from Israel

Britons stranded in Israel will be evacuated on government charter flights when the country's airspace reopens. The Foreign Office announced on Friday that it is organising aircraft to extract British people who are in Tel Aviv and want to return home. There are thought to be thousands of UK nationals in Israel, although many live there permanently or do not want to leave the country. Israeli airspace has been closed for a week after Iran launched missile attacks in retaliation for air strikes ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu last Thursday. The conflict has left tens of thousands of tourists stranded, with no commercial planes allowed to take off. 'Working with Israeli authorities' David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, said: 'As part of our efforts to support British nationals in the Middle East, the Government is working with the Israeli authorities to provide charter flights from Tel Aviv airport when airspace reopens, based on levels of demand from British nationals. 'British nationals should register their presence in Israel and the OPTs to be contacted with further guidance on these flights. 'Land routes out of Israel remain open and UK staff are on hand to support British nationals who have crossed the border. This will include providing transport – subject to demand – to nearby airports for onward commercial flights. 'We continue to push for a diplomatic solution to avoid a deepening conflict.' Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) sources had previously suggested that the UK would not charter jets to evacuate British people, but that position was reversed on Friday. The FCDO has asked all British nationals in Israel to register their presence on an online 'portal' so ministers are aware of how many people may be stranded. The UK has also evacuated the families of embassy staff in Tel Aviv, following a series of attacks by Iran on Israeli sites, which have killed civilians. Foreign Office staff have been deployed on the ground in Jordan and Egypt to assist British nationals who have left Israel by road. It is unusual for the Government to charter flights directly to evacuate British citizens from a foreign conflict, especially when commercial services are expected to be running. Likely to trigger rush for flights However, the reopening of the airspace is likely to trigger a rush for flights, and it may be several days before commercial tickets are widely available. The situation has also caused a diplomatic issue for the UK, because Israel is keen not to be viewed as an unsafe place for citizens of allied countries to visit. The FCDO changed its guidance on Sunday to advise British people not to travel to Israel, warning that 'the situation has the potential to deteriorate further, quickly and without warning'. The decision to evacuate UK nationals comes ahead of a meeting to discuss the conflict between EU countries and Britain in Geneva later on Friday. Mr Lammy has flown to the meeting directly from Washington DC, where he met Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state Donald Trump is said to be leaning towards intervening directly in the conflict between Israel and Iran by striking one of Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment plants, buried within a mountain in the north-east of the country. But he has delayed making a decision on American intervention for a fortnight, which the UK says gives a 'window' to resolve the conflict through diplomacy. Only the US has a 'bunker buster' bomb powerful enough to damage the facility, although experts say there is no guarantee that even America's 30,000-pound 'Massive Ordnance Penetrator' will be strong enough. The UK Government has urged 'de-escalation' from all sides and called for 'cool heads'. Mr Lammy is understood to have told Mr Rubio that the US should not intervene, at risk of making the conflict more severe.

'Zero arrests': RCMP say nobody arrested at G7 but charges possible for wayward pilot
'Zero arrests': RCMP say nobody arrested at G7 but charges possible for wayward pilot

Yahoo

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

'Zero arrests': RCMP say nobody arrested at G7 but charges possible for wayward pilot

CALGARY — Law enforcement officials overseeing security at the G7 leaders' summit said Wednesday no arrests were made during the three-day event, except for one rogue pilot who forced officials to scramble CF-18 Hornet fighter jets. During the summit, which included leaders from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union, no-fly zones were in place over Kananaskis Village and the Calgary International Airport. Those temporary restrictions were lifted Wednesday, but there was one violation Sunday over Kananaskis, the day the leaders were set to arrive. The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) deployed fighter jets to intercept the fixed-wing civilian aircraft above the Kananaskis area and tried to get his attention before resorting to final warning measures to contact the pilot. "As a result of that, the Royal Canadian Air Force and our NORAD partners responded in a manner to enforce and secure that airspace," RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall told a news conference. "Thankfully, we were able to have that pilot safely exit the controlled airspace, land and an investigation started into what exactly happened there." Hall said the pilot was directed to land in Brooks, 285 kilometres to the east, where he was met by RCMP. "At this time it's not my understanding that any charges have been laid." The pilot is not in custody. The RCMP-led Integrated Safety and Security Group spent months working with partners to prepare for the worst, including setting up designated demonstration zones in Calgary and Banff. Protests were small. Two of the three zones in Calgary were barely used. Protesters chose Calgary city hall as their main venue, but no more than a few hundred showed up Sunday, the busiest day of the summit. Monday and Tuesday only saw about a hundred Sikhs protest the arrival of India's prime minister. The 2002 G8 summit, also held in Kananaskis, resulted in large protests, including marches through downtown Calgary. Joe Brar, the G7 event security director from Calgary police, said 17 different groups protested Sunday. He said the world is a different place now than it was 23 years ago. "There are other ways of demonstrating now as well that rather than just showing up in person," he said. "Technology allows people from all parts of the world to reach in and express their views and their opinions so I think it's just a change in the environment." Hall said he was unable to give a price tag for G7 security, but said the number will eventually be released. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025 Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

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