A mother raced to Beirut airport amid falling Israeli bombs while others chartered luxury yachts to take them to Cyprus as thousands of Britons seek to flee Lebanon. Hundreds of people have fled by air and sea, on commercial flights and hired boats, as the first government evacuation flight carrying around 180 people flew out of Beirut, landing in Birmingham around 9pm on Wednesday evening. John Healey, the defence secretary, has promised that troops are “ready to go” to rescue Britons if Beirut airport is bombed, with evacuation by sea and helicopter all under consideration if needed.
Rita El Kassis, 55, a London resident, had a space on a flight for Heathrow — but her family feared that she might not make it to the airport as she faced a dash through Hezbollah-controlled areas by taxi..