First flight to evacuate British nationals has left Israel, foreign secretary says

The first flight to evacuate British citizens from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has taken off, the foreign secretary has said.

David Lammy told the Commons that an RAF A400 took 63 UK nationals and dependants to Cyprus, as the conflict in the Middle East develops.

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Mr Lammy said the group will be brought home "this evening" and more flights will follow.

He also confirmed that one British national in Israel had been injured during Iranian missile attacks and had been offered consular support.

Israel began strikes against Iran earlier this month, claiming Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, and has struck nuclear sites, military bases and civilian areas.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes. It has retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.

The UK had not begun evacuating civilians up to this point, saying it had to wait for airspace to open up before planes could be sent.

However, the families of diplomatic staff were taken to safety last week, before the US launched a bombing raid on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Mr Lammy said it was more difficult to support British nationals in Iran as airspace is closed and there is a near total internet shutdown.

He repeated his plea to Iran to return to the negotiating table following America's strikes over the weekend.

He said: "My message for Tehran was clear, take the off ramp, dial this thing down, and negotiate with the United States seriously and immediately.

"The alternative is an even more destructive and far-reaching conflict, which could have unpredictable consequences."

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