Why have British nationals been told to leave Lebanon?

Aid workers move rubble from a strike in Lebanon's capital city, Beirut

Countries including the UK and the US have called for a pause in the fighting in the Middle East which has got a lot worse over the past few weeks.

The fighting is between Israel and an armed political group based in Lebanon, a country which borders Israel to the north.

Many people have died and the United Nations say more than 90 thousand people in Lebanon have been forced to leave their homes to escape the violence.

The UK government has called for British citizens to leave Lebanon, where the armed political group, called Hezbollah, are based.

Where is Lebanon?

Lebanon is a country in the Middle East. Its capital is Beirut.

It shares its borders with Syria and Israel, and sits on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

The people who live there are mostly made up of different groups of Muslims and Christians.

Lebanon is also a place where many refugees have fled to, to escape war and conflict in their homes, including Syrians and Palestinians.

Children play at a makeshift shelter in an educational institution hosting Lebanese people who fled from southern Lebanon in Beirut

What are Hezbollah?

Internally displaced people, who fled from their southern Lebanon villages due to ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, ride on a pick up truck in Beiru

Hezbollah is a political party and armed group in Lebanon.

Although it doesn’t run Lebanon, it’s become an important group in both the Lebanon parliament and the government. It controls some public services and also the most powerful armed force in the country, even though it is not part of the armed forces of Lebanon.

It’s been involved in periods of fighting with Israel for many decades.

Hezbollah is supported by Iran but other countries, including the UK, US and Israel, have made it a "proscribed terrorist organisation", which means that it has been decided by governments that it is a terrorist group.

Why are Israel and Hezbollah fighting now?

Israel is another country in the Middle East, a neighbour to the south of Lebanon, which has a long history of conflict with Hezbollah.

Hezbollah are also supporters of Hamas – the armed political group in Gaza with whom Israel have been at war for nearly a year.

Hezbollah have attacked Israel a number of times since October 2023, in support of Hamas.

Hamas is also a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK government.

In recent weeks Israel have carried out air strikes in Lebanon which they claim are targeting Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has responded by firing hundreds of rockets into northern Israel.

More than 70,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in northern Israel, while the United Nations report that more than 90,000 have been displaced in Lebanon.

What has the reaction been to the fighting?

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said British nationals in Lebanon should leave the country now

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said British nationals in Lebanon should "Leave now.” “It's very important,” he added.

President of the US, Joe Biden, spoke to reporters on Wednesday, saying “it’s important the war does not widen".

Many other countries are also calling for a 21-day pause in the fighting for talks – also known as a ceasefire.

A joint statement supporting a ceasefire was signed by the US, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and Qatar.

The Israeli government has since refused to agree to a ceasefire with Hezbollah or Hamas.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Nethanyahu, says Israel’s army should keep fighting with “full force” against Hezbollah.