Officials are drawing up a variety of plans at pace for evacuation routes by land, sea or air, The Mirror understands, with all options currently on the table
Hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers, people in transit and expats are understood to be trapped in the Middle East as Iranian missile strikes continue to rock the region.
Officials are drawing up a variety of plans at pace for evacuation routes by land, sea or air, The Mirror understands, with all options currently on the table.
Explosions have been heard in multiple Gulf states as Iran vowed to carry out its “most intense operation” ever in retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. No British nationals are currently believed to have been injured or killed.
The UK over the weekend launched an unprecedented operation to support British citizens stuck in the region. More than 76,000 British people have already registered their presence in the region since the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) launched a system to do so on Saturday evening.
If you are a British national in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates, you can register your presence to receive direct updates from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) here.
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Almost three-quarters of those are in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and are predominantly people on holiday or on a journey through the country, as opposed to expat residents, it is understood.
In an unprecedented move, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer launched the “register your presence” system at 5pm on Saturday after urgent all-day meetings. It is the earliest time during a crisis that the system has been launched and the first time it has been launched for multiple countries at the same time.
The FCDO is urging British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates to register their presence there so it can understand where people are as it draws up possible evacuation plans. British citizens should also sign up to travel alerts, as advice is being regularly reviewed and updated. People are being advised to stay where they are and to monitor local travel advice.
Some 250,000 people travel through Dubai airport every day, with connecting flights from Britain to Australia and Asia often stopping at the major travel hub. It is considered the world’s busiest airport.
Ms Cooper is understood to have been at the FCDO from 7am until after 11pm on Saturday and returned to the office first thing on Sunday morning, where she is working urgently to understand the whereabouts and security of Brits in the region. Her immediate concern is of British citizens who do not have permanent homes and are stranded in hotels, it is understood. Some people were initially stuck in airports when the strikes began, but are understood to have been moved to hotels.
Ms Cooper is also understood to be pushing heavily for a diplomatic resolution to be reached as soon as possible. The Foreign Secretary held a series of calls with foreign ministers from around the world over the weekend, including those from Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan.
She has also spoken with G7 foreign ministers and the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. On Saturday, Ms Cooper also gathered all of the ambassadors for the region. Ambassadors in the UAE and Qatar are in frequent contact with major airlines. It is understood no conversations have been held with Iran.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who has been in contact with airlines today, said: “The UK’s immediate priority is the safety of UK nationals in the Middle East, but I also realise how stressful the situation is for travellers facing delays and disruption. We’re closely monitoring the situation for UK aviation and shipping and working closely with UK airlines.”
Keir Starmer today expressed “deep concern” about attacks on civilian sites in the region and discussed with Middle Eastern leaders about ensuring the safety of British nationals and military personnel in the region. He told the leaders of Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait the UK stood with them “in the face of dangerous Iranian escalation” following joint US-Israeli air strikes over the weekend.
The Israeli military said it had continued to hit sites in central Tehran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an airstrike on Saturday morning. Iran has vowed to retaliate with “devastating blows” and has fired missiles at many of its neighbouring countries as well as US military targets.
Israeli authorities reported Iranian missiles had killed nine civilians in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, while the US military’s Central Command said three American service members had been killed and five others severely wounded on Sunday.
Defence Secretary John Healey this morning said some 300 UK troops had been within “a few hundred yards” of an Iranian strike on a base in Bahrain. Two missiles have also been fired in the direction of Cyprus, where thousands of UK personnel are stationed, although the Government does not believe these were deliberately targeted at the British bases there.