Israel-Iran latest: Biden says Israeli strikes on Iranian oil being discussed as 9 killed in hit on Beirut

As Israel attacks targets in central Beirut, the UK Foreign Office has run the first evacuation fliight from Lebanon to help British citizens, their spouses and children under 18 to leave the country. The plane from Beirut touched down at Birmingham airport on Wednesday evening.

It is nine weeks since the foreign secretary, David Lammy, first urged UK nationals to leave Lebanon while they could. Sir Kier Starmer reiterated the call last month.

The preferred method is by a commercial flight. But options are extremely limited, with almost all airlines cancelling flights in and out of the capital, Beirut, writes our travel correspondent Simon Calder:

Israel bombed Beirut early on Thursday, killing at least six people, after its forces suffered their deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year of clashes with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

“Another sleepless night in Beirut. Counting the blasts shaking the city. No warning sirens. Not knowing what’s next. Only that uncertainty lies ahead. Anxiety and fear are omnipresent,” UN special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said on X on Thursday.

Three missiles also hit the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last week, and loud blasts were heard, Lebanese security officials said.

Iran’s UN ambassador says Iran had to launch a barrage of missiles at Israel to “restore balance” after escalating Israeli violence in the region.

Amir Saeid Iravani told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the missile attack on Tuesday was “a necessary and proportionate response to Israel’s continued terrorist aggressive acts over the past two months.”

He says Iran has “consistently pursued peace and stability” and that Israel sees Iranian restraint “not as a gesture of goodwill but as a weakness to exploit.”

“Each act of restraint taken by Iran has only emboldened Israel to commit greater crimes and more acts of aggression,” Iravani said.

“Consequently, Iran’s response was necessary to restore balance and deterrence.”He also accused the United States of complicity “in Israel’s crimes” by helping to arm the nation after the 7 October attacks by Hamas in southern Israel.

Israel’s UN ambassador said on Wednesday that the “the time for empty calls for de-escalation is over”.

Danny Danon told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that “Iran’s true face is one of terror, death and chaos”.

“This is no longer a matter of words,” he said. “Iran is a very real and present danger to the world, and if they are not stopped, the next wave of missiles will not be aimed solely at Israel,” he said.

He called Iran’s missile barrage aimed at Israel on Tuesday “a cold-blooded attack against 10 million civilians” and “an unprecedented act of aggression.”

Mr Danon stressed that Israel will not stop until all of the hostages taken by Hamas and other militants are back in Israel.“Let the world understand: Israel will defend itself, and we will do so with justice and strength,” he said.

Australia has organised hundreds of airline seats for its citizens to leave Lebanon, and has flown military aircraft to Cyprus as part of a contingency plan. Its contingency plans could include evacuation by sea, though authorities have urged an estimated 15,000 citizens in Lebanon to leave while Beirut airport remains open.

Belgium’s foreign ministry has advised citizens to leave as soon as possible, the Belga news agency said.

China has safely evacuated more than 200 Chinese citizens, reported Xinhua news agency.

Canada will co-operate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea. The plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to ferry out 1,000 people a day, reported the Toronto Star.

Cyprus has asked Greece to provide an aircraft to help evacuate its nationals who wish to leave. There are an estimated 1,000-1,500 Cypriots in Lebanon, though the number wishing to leave is estimated at far lower.

France has not issued an evacuation order, despite having had plans for several months. Present contingency plans centre on Cyprus and Beirut airport, while it is also discussing evacuations via Turkey. France has a warship in the region, while a French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the coming days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon.

Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable from Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, the foreign and defence ministries said in a joint statement on Monday.

Greece has urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid any travel there, with a frigate on standby in case assistance is needed.

Italy has cut diplomatic staff and beefed up security personnel at its Beirut embassy. Foreign minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly urged nationals to leave the country and sought assurances from Israel over the safety of Italian peacekeepers in the area.

The Netherlands will send a military plane to repatriate nationals from Lebanon with two flights on 4 October and 5 October, the Dutch ministry of defence said on Wednesday. The flights to the military airbase in Eindhoven will also be available for people from other countries if there is enough room to accommodate them, it said.

Poland will limit staff numbers at its Beirut embassy, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that Warsaw would organise transport for citizens wanting to leave Lebanon.

Portugal’s prime minister Luis Montenegro has advised against travel to Lebanon, which assisted in the evacuation of a small number of Portuguese citizens living there.

Spain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday .

Turkey is ready for a possible evacuation of Turks from Lebanon via air and sea, and is working with about 20 countries for a possible evacuation of foreign nationals via Turkey. About 14,000 Turkish citizens were registered at the consulate in Lebanon, but the number was not definitive.

Britain has urged nationals to leave immediately. It has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering its military assets, including two Royal Navy ships. It also has two military bases on the island. Britain chartered a flight on Wednesday for its nationals, and additional charter flights are to follow, diplomatic sources said.

The United States has ordered dozens of troops deployed to Cyprus to help prepare for scenarios such as an evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. It is working with airlines to add flights out of Lebanon, with more seats for Americans, the State Department said on Tuesday.

The United Nations on Wednesday called Israel’s ban on secretary-general Antonio Guterres entering the country a political statement by its foreign minister and stressed that the world body’s contacts with Israel will continue “because they have to”.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters that Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz deeming the UN chief “persona non grata” is also “one more attack on the United Nations staff that we’ve seen from the government of Israel”.

Report:

Tens of thousands of airline passengers are waking up where they did not expect to be after carriers diverted many planes in response to Iran’s overnight attack on Israel.

The normal flightpath from Europe and North America to the Gulf and south Asia is to fly to the southeast corner of Turkey and then head southeast over either Iran or Iraq.

But as missiles were fired from Iran over Iraq towards Israel, the airspace of both countries was closed. Jordan’s skies were also closed temporarily.

The most extreme response was Air France flight AF218 from Paris to Mumbai – in which the passengers endured an eight-hour trip to nowhere.

Report:

Iran’s UN ambassador accused the United States, along with the United Kingdom and France, of cynically attempting “to justify Israel’s heinous crimes under the guise of self-defence, shifting the blame onto Iran.”

Amir Saeid Iravani told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council Wednesday that the United States, which has continued to arm Israel since Hamas’ 7 October attacks on its south, is complicit “in Israel’s crimes.”

Iravani called Iran’s missile barrage targeting Israel on Tuesday “a necessary and proportionate response to Israel’s continued terrorist aggressive acts over the past two months.”

Lebanon’s health ministry raised the death toll to six from an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building near the center of Beirut late Wednesday night.

It said seven people were injured in the attack.The airstrike hit near the residential Bashoura district. The previous death toll had been two with 11 people injured.

Residents reported a sulfur-like smell following the attack, and Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency accused Israel of using internationally banned phosphorous bombs.

Human rights groups have in the past accused Israel of using white phosphorus incendiary shells on towns and villages in conflict-hit southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry says two killed in Israeli airstrike in central Beirut

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said on Thursday her government had booked 500 seats on commercial aircraft for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families to leave Lebanon on Saturday.

The seats are available to 1,700 Australians and their families known to be in Lebanon on two flights from Beirut to Cyprus, Ms Wong said.

“What I would say to Australians who wish to leave, please take whatever option is available to you,” the foreign minister told reporters in Geelong, Australia.

“Please do not wait for your preferred route,” she added.