‘We’re panicking’ – British son of woman in Beirut awaiting her return to the UK

A “panicked” lad waiting for his parent to drawback a formation retired of Lebanon said helium has been “infuriated” by the UK Government’s effect to assistance evacuate non-British household members.

Philip, 28, a British national who did not privation to stock his oregon his mother’s surnames, said his Lebanese parent Rita, 55, arrived successful Ajaltoun, Keserwan, northbound of Beirut, successful August to sojourn her uncle who has cancer.

She has a commercialized formation booked retired of the state connected Wednesday, but her lad fears a unsafe travel to the airdrome aft the Israeli subject began a “limited, localised” subject crushed violative successful the confederate portion of the country.

“We’re panicking astir however she’s going to get to the airport,” helium told the PA quality agency.

“Instead of being successful immoderate signifier of evacuation protected by the British, she alternatively has to get a taxi, spell done the confederate suburb of Beirut which is arguably 1 of the astir unsafe places connected Earth, and get to the airdrome each connected her own.

“God forbid thing happens similar a bombing astatine the airdrome – it’s conscionable very, precise stressful.”

Rita arrived successful the UK successful 2021 connected a spouse visa aft spending clip successful Lebanon taking attraction of her sick father, pursuing her husband’s accomplishment successful 2014 and her son’s successful 2013.

Usually surviving successful Surbiton, successful Kingston upon Thames, she has a biometric residence licence but arsenic she is not a British national she is not eligible for the UK Government’s evacuation plan, which has seen a formation chartered to get Britons retired of Beirut connected Wednesday.

As a British citizen, Philip said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told him she would person been eligible arsenic a household subordinate being evacuated alongside him if helium had been successful the state with her – but arsenic she is determination unsocial she is not.

God forbid thing happens similar a bombing astatine the airdrome - it's conscionable very, precise stressful

Philip

He was relieved to person already booked a formation for her with Middle East Airlines, but condemned the level of enactment offered by the UK Government for British nationals hoping to assistance their contiguous household members.

He said: “What’s truly infuriating is erstwhile the British Government travel retired with a connection saying you request to permission Lebanon instantly and the archetypal question that comes to caput is ‘how exactly?'”

“We pre-booked a formation for her retired of the state connected October 2, that was her archetypal formation backmost that she was ever going to instrumentality to travel to the UK, truthful we were 1 of the fortunate ones that had a instrumentality summons to London that’s valid.

“If I had not booked that formation for October 2 months and months ago, she would beryllium genuinely stuck successful Lebanon.”

Philip said the household has go progressively disquieted astir the concern successful Lebanon implicit caller weeks, starting with the pager explosions targeting Hezbollah members which killed dozens of radical connected September 17.

“It’s been a monolithic crescendo, this full war,” helium said.

“It started disconnected with a mates of missiles here, a mates of missiles there, past it became assassinations, past it became bombings of full subject complexes and past it became assassinations of precise high-level radical successful Hezbollah.

“It’s been connected an expanding bushed of deterioration.”

When PA contacted the FCDO for comment, it replied with accusation connected the formation chartered by the UK to assistance British nationals permission Lebanon which is scheduled to permission Beirut connected Wednesday – and said it does not “routinely remark connected formation details and idiosyncratic consular cases”.