Secret plan to rescue thousands of Britons from Middle East if Trump launches Iran ground invasion ‘now being drawn up’

A secret plan is being prepared to rescue thousands of British citizens from the Middle East if Donald Trump launches a ground operation, senior military sources said on Saturday.

On Sunday, The Mail was told that commando raid ships were being quietly transferred to the eastern Mediterranean in a bid to cut the British off beaches and ports.

And the Royal Marines are on standby to fly in to carry out the operation.

It was reported that the operations on Saturday will focus on Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, and that 4,500 British citizens are still in this country.

However, there are also contingency plans to carry out a similar operation in Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba, where it is reported that 6,000 Britons currently reside.

Military sources emphasized on Saturday that the so-called National Evacuation Operation will be launched if it becomes clear that the United States will intervene by land to take control of the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently controlled by Iran.

But they also made clear that any evacuation could not proceed if the area in question was under attack and that this would be on the basis of agreeing a ‘safe corridor’ with other countries that would allow rescue efforts to progress.

This means, for example, that British forces will not attempt to liberate Beirut if Israel is still conducting operations against Iran’s ally Hezbollah.

Preparation for the evacuation is understood to have begun with the dispatch of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Lyme Bay, a landing craft dock that can disembark troops, vehicles and stores using landing craft or motor rafts, to the Eastern Mediterranean.

It is also equipped with a flight deck for helicopters.

Sources also said Royal Marines landing craft and offshore raid boats have now been sent to the area aboard the commercial cargo ship MV Hurst Point.

A senior military source said amphibious warfare teams from 47 Commando (Raid Group) and a small Royal Marine detachment from 40 Commando would fly into the area if necessary.

RAF Chinook helicopters, which were pre-positioned in Cyprus earlier this month, would be used to airlift some of the evacuees, while landing craft and small raid boats would rescue people from shore.

HMS Dragon, which belongs to the Royal Navy and is currently arriving in the region, will provide air cover to Lyme Bay and the rescued people will be ferried to Cyprus, where the UK has military bases.

The RAF’s F-35 and Typhoon fighter jets in Cyprus will provide ‘surveillance’ alongside RAF Protector drones that can monitor the Lebanese coastline in the event of a Hezbollah attack.

A senior military source said: ‘The UK has positioned its assets and they are now awaiting instructions from the Government for the green light.

On Sunday, The Mail was told that commando raid ships were being quietly transferred to the eastern Mediterranean in a bid to cut the British off beaches and ports.

‘While the Armed Forces can enter Lebanon or Jordan with bombs in the air, we cannot risk evacuators being injured.

‘So attention is the key word.’

More than 139,000 British citizens have returned to the United Kingdom from the region since the conflict began; Some of these took place via government charter flights.

But on Saturday a Government spokesman said we ‘do not recognize’ claims about a new evacuation plan, adding: ‘We do not comment on operational activity.’

The spokesman added: ‘More than 139,000 British nationals have returned to the UK from the region and we continue to encourage British nationals to use widely available business travel options.

‘Our travel advice is constantly reviewed.’