UK moves 700 troops to Cyprus ready to evacuate Britons from Lebanon

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the area of Burj al-Shamali in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. Photograph: Kawnat Haju/AFP/Getty Images

Britain is moving 700 troops to Cyprus to be ready for an emergency evacuation of UK citizens from Lebanon, as the prime minister urged those still in the country to leave immediately.

The government said military teams were moving there to further support British nationals in Lebanon, where Israel has been bombarding the south of the country.