British sisters say ‘no choice’ but to leave Lebanon

Three British sisters have spoken of their sadness at being forced to flee their home in Lebanon, saying they had “no choice” but to board a flight to the UK.

Amal Zahereddine, 18, and her sisters Yasmine, 17, and Layla, 22, were among British nationals preparing to leave on a UK government charter flight from Beirut to Birmingham.

Earlier, Defence Secretary John Healey said British forces had “played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation”, during an Iranian missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.

He gave no further details but the BBC understands British military jets did not shoot down any Iranian ballistic missiles nor did the Royal Navy Destroyer, HMS Duncan, fire any Sea Viper missiles.

Speaking to the BBC from the airport in Beirut, university student Amal said she loved Lebanon and was “very upset” at having to leave.

“Right now there is no way we can stay. The noises, the situation, is just getting very traumatising so we have no choice,” she said.

Amal, who was born in Surrey and has lived in Lebanon for five years, said she and her sisters planned to reunite with family in West Sussex.

“We’re just going to stay hopeful that it’s not going to be for long and we’re going to come back to our precious country.”

Her sister Yasmine, who is still in school, said she would have never imagined leaving, but the situation required it.

As of last week, there were thought to be between 4,000 and 6,000 UK nationals, including dependants, in Lebanon.

The chartered flight leaving Beirut on Wednesday will only be able to take a fraction of them, raising questions about whether additional flights will be needed

The defence secretary is in Cyprus to meet some of the British personnel preparing for the possibility of evacuating UK nationals.

Britons in Lebanon have been advised to register their presence with officials on the government’s website.

Another British citizen, Libby, 25, boarded a commercial flight from Beirut to Cairo on Wednesday morning, and described the situation in the Lebanese capital as “terrifying”.

“You can’t sleep because you can hear the Israeli drones over your head, you wake up in the night because you hear strikes,” she told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.