Leaving 'only choice' say sisters on Beirut flight

Three British sisters have expressed their deep sadness as they prepare to leave their home in Lebanon, stating that they had 'no choice' but to board a flight to the UK. Amal Zahereddine, who is 18 years old, along with her sisters Yasmine, 17, and Layla, 22, were at the airport getting ready to take a UK government charter flight from Beirut to Birmingham. Amal shared her feelings, saying, 'Right now there is no way we can stay. The noises, the situation, is just getting very traumatising so we have no choice. ' The situation in Lebanon has become increasingly dangerous due to intensified fighting, with Israel ramping up its aerial attacks on Beirut, particularly targeting densely populated areas in the southern part of the city, which they claim are home to Hezbollah leaders and military assets. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged British nationals in Lebanon to leave as the conflict continues to escalate. Amal, who is currently a university student, expressed her love for Lebanon and her distress at having to leave, stating, 'We're just going to stay hopeful that it's not going to be for long and we're going to come back to our precious country. ' Born in Surrey, Amal has lived in Lebanon for five years and hopes to reunite with family in West Sussex. Her sister Yasmine, still in school, admitted that she never imagined having to leave, but the current situation made it necessary. Another British citizen, Libby, 25, took a commercial flight from Beirut to Cairo on Wednesday morning and described the atmosphere in the Lebanese capital as 'terrifying. ' She explained, 'You can't sleep because you can hear the Israeli drones over your head, you wake up in the night because you hear strikes. ' As of last week, it was estimated that there were between 4,000 and 6,000 UK nationals, including their dependants, in Lebanon. The charter flight leaving Beirut on Wednesday could only accommodate a small fraction of them, raising concerns about whether additional flights would be necessary. Defence Secretary John Healey was in Cyprus on Wednesday to meet with British personnel who are preparing for the potential evacuation of UK nationals from Lebanon. Britons in Lebanon have been advised to register their presence on the government's website. Healey's visit to Cyprus coincided with an Iranian attack on Israel that occurred on Tuesday night. The Defence Secretary stated that British forces have 'played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation. ' However, he did not provide further details, but it is understood that British military jets did not intercept any Iranian ballistic missiles, nor did the Royal Navy Destroyer, HMS Duncan, fire any Sea Viper missiles. Iran claimed that the attack was partly in retaliation for the killing of the leader of Hezbollah in a strike on Beirut last week.