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 of the development in a statement addressing the current conflict in the Middle East.

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

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.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.