Foreign Secretary David Lammy is facing questions over why chartered commercial jets – not military transport planes – are being used to rescue UK nationals from war-torn Lebanon.
RAF sources are privately voicing concern over the continued use of charter flights in and out of Beirut airport over the UK’s A400M transport aircraft based in Cyprus.
The worries emerged as the BBC reported on how the impact of Israeli bombing could be ‘clearly’ seen yesterday from the Beirut airport terminal.
Looking at a photograph taken from what appeared to be the airport runway tarmac yesterday, respected senior international correspondent Orla Guerin said: ‘You can very clearly see smoke rising not that far from the airport terminal’.
She added how on Friday ‘we mapped the distance between a previous Israeli air strike and the airport, and it was less than a mile’.
The Dan Air YR-RAM Airbus A320-232 chartered by the UK Government to rescue UK nationals from war-torn Lebanon
Smoke rises from a fire after an explosion following an Israeli strike at Choueifat district in Beirut, Lebanon early on Sunday
Israel’s military stated on October 6, it conducted a series of overnight ‘targeted strikes’ on a number of facilities and infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah in the area of Beirut
The last of four scheduled government charter flights is today due to take off from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.
So far, over 250 UK nationals have left Lebanon on the flights but the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said that with demand falling, there were no further flights planned.
However, the Mail on Sunday can reveal that British military sources are privately asking why chartered commercial planes were being used in the first place.
They said that there were two RAF A400M transport planes waiting at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus as well as 700 troops ready to assist in an evacuation operation.
One senior British military source said the planning team in Cyprus was increasingly frustrated that they have not been activated.
The source said: ‘The UK is sending charter flights into an airport that is being attacked.
‘These commercial aircraft have no counter measures against surface to air missiles.
‘The RAF train for this as we saw in the evacuation from Kabul and we have planes ready.’
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is facing questions over why chartered commercial jets – not military transport planes – are being used to rescue UK nationals from war-torn Lebanon
A A400M transport plane based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was ‘at the ready’ to save Brits from Lebanon (file photo)
Smoke rises from a fire after an explosion following an Israeli strike in the Choueifat district in Beirut, Lebanon on October 6
There are also questions being raised about the cost of charter flights amid claims each flights could cost nearly £500,000 compared to £80,000 to fully fuel an A400M.
Ministry of Defence sources denied yesterday that Mr Lammy had ignored an offer from Defence Secretary John Healey to use the military transport planes.
The FCDO declined to comment, citing ‘operational security’ in relation to ‘military operations’.
But officials said today’s (SUNDAY) scheduled charter flight would leave ‘as long as it is safe to do so and the Government continued to monitor the situation closely.
Sources added that chartered flights offered ‘the best value for the taxpayer’ and that ‘military assets will only be used once all civilian options have been exhausted’.
They added that an FCDO ‘Rapid Deployment Team’ had been sent to Beirut to support British nationals at the airport.
Smoke and flames engulf a building after an Israeli airstrike on the Dahiyeh neighborhood in southern Beirut, Lebanon on October 6
Defence Secretary John Healey visits RAF Akrotiri, during a visit to Cyprus to meet troops as the Government stepped up efforts for a potential evacuation of Lebanon on October 2
Speaking on Friday, they also stressed that Beirut airport remained open and commercial flights were continuing to operate.
Also speaking on Friday, Mr Lammy said there were ‘no guarantee of other options’ for UK nationals to leave quickly, adding: ‘I urge anyone who wants to leave to register now. ‘
On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme yesterday, Ms Guerin – speaking from the southern Lebanese city of Tyre – said: ‘Just a few minutes ago, I received a photograph from a colleague who’s at Beirut Airport this morning and it was taken from what appears to be the tarmac – you can see a plane just in front.
‘And you can very clearly see smoke rising not that far from the airport terminal.
‘Now, yesterday, we mapped the distance between a previous Israeli air strike and the airport, and it was less than a mile.
‘So, since September 23 when this Israeli operation really went up a gear and when Israel started to prepare to invade, we’ve gone to a situation where now in the capital city where the only international airport is, if you’re standing on the tarmac, you can see the smoke rising.’
