A secret plan to rescue thousands of UK nationals from the Middle East if Donald Trump launches a ground invasion is now being drawn up, senior military sources said on Saturday.
The Mail on Sunday was told that commando raiding crafts have been quietly transferred to the eastern Mediterranean in readiness to pluck Britons from beaches and ports.
And Royal Marines are on standby to be flown to out to carry out the operation.
It was understood on Saturday that the operations would focus on Lebanese capital Beirut, with a reported 4,500 UK nationals still in that country.
But there are also contingency plans to stage a similar operation at the Red Sea port of Aqaba in Jordan where there are a reported 6,000 Britons still resident.
The military sources stressed on Saturday that the so-called National Evacuation Operation would be launched if it became clear that the US was about to launch a ground intervention to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz currently controlled by Iran.
However, they also made clear that it would be on the basis that a ‘safe corridor’ had been agreed with other countries to allow the rescues to go head as no evacuation could proceed if that particular area was under attack.
That would mean for example that British forces would not attempt rescues from Beirut if the Israelis were still mounting operations against Iranian allies Hezbollah.
The evacuation preparation is understood to have begun with the despatch to the eastern Mediterranean of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Lyme Bay, a landing ship dock capable of putting troops, vehicles and stores ashore using landing craft or powered rafts.
She is also equipped with a flight deck for helicopters.
Sources also said that Royal Marines’ landing craft and offshore raiding boats had now been sent to the region aboard the commercial cargo ship MV Hurst Point.
Amphibious warfare teams from the 47 Commando (Raiding Group) and a small detachment of Royal Marines from 40 Commando will fly out to the region as and when required, a senior military source said.
RAF Chinook helicopters, already pre-positioned in Cyprus earlier this month, would be used to airlift some evacuees while landing craft and small raiding boats would rescue people from the shore.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Dragon, which has now arrived in the region, would provide air protection for Lyme Bay with those rescued being ferried to Cyprus where the UK has too military bases.
The RAF’s F-35 and Typhoon fighter aircraft in Cyprus would also provide ‘overwatch’ along with RAF Protector drones which can monitor the Lebanese coastline in case of an attack by Hezbollah.
The senior military source said: ‘The UK has positioned its assets and they now await direction from the Government to give the green light.
‘While the Armed Forces can go into Lebanon or Jordan when the bombs are flying, we cannot risk evacuees getting injured.
‘So caution is the key word.’
More than 139,000 British nationals have now returned to the UK from the region since the conflict started, some on government charter flights.
But on Saturday, a Government spokesperson said that ‘we do not recognise’ claims of a new evacuation plan, adding: ‘We do not comment on operational activity.’
The spokesperson added: ‘More than 139,000 British nationals have now returned to the UK from the region and we continue to urge British nationals to use commercial travel options, which remain widely available.
‘Our travel advice is kept constantly under review.’
