BRITAIN began airlifting its most vulnerable citizens in Chinook helicopters yesterday from war-torn Beirut to the safety of a military base on Cyprus.

More than 60 exhausted but relieved Britons were taken out on the first two flights. They included a heavily pregnant mother-of-two, a kidney transplant patient and a nine-month-old infant.

The United States, France, Germany and numerous other countries also mounted operations to evacuate their citizens from the Lebanese capital as Israeli warplanes continued their relentless bombardment.

Three Chinooks, each capable of carrying 40 passengers, were sent from Britain to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus at the weekend to form what Tony Blair described as an “air bridge” for British passport holders.

A second helicopter flight was due to leave from Cyprus last night to evacuate other “priority cases”. It is hoped there will be more flights today.

There are an estimated 25,000 Britons and dual-nationality citizens in Beirut and the airlift will extract the most needy until a flotilla of six warships and support vessels is ready this week. Two Type 42 destroyers, HMS Gloucester and HMS York, arrived yesterday. Four other vessels, including HMS Illustrious, the aircraft carrier, HMS Bulwark, the commando assault ship, HMS St Albans, a Type 23 frigate, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support vessel, Fort Victoria, are expected to arrive tomorrow.

British diplomats said that embassy staff in Beirut had put out an appeal for those with priority reasons for leaving to come forward to be airlifted to Cyprus. “They are mainly young children and the elderly or sick,” the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.

“We don’t yet know how many want to get out,” a British official told The Times. It is thought that many dual nationals may wish to remain where they have family and friends, and grim experience from the past at coping with such crises.

Cyprus has given its consent for Greek Cypriot ports and airports to be used in a joint evacuation plan for all 25 European Union nations. Britain is also assisting its EU allies by making available facilities at RAF Akrotiri, the biggest RAF base outside Britain.

French, Belgian, Spanish and American military aircraft have arrived at the base to help their citizens in Lebanon.

US helicopters also formed an air bridge to Akrotiri and the US Navy escorted a commercial vessel the Orient Queen into the city’s port to take off up to 750 passengers. A French ship picked up 1,300 evacuees and an Italian vessel 350, including more than 150 other nationalities. The Israelis relaxed their blockade of the port to allow the evacuation.

Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Ukraine and Spain all evacuated hundreds of their citizens to Syria. Russia said that it had 1,000 ready to leave.

The helicopter mercy missions came after the intervention of James Watt, the British Ambassador to Lebanon.

He said that the advice to remaining British citizens in Lebanon was to stay put and keep safe until a larger evacuation was possible. Mr Watt said he hoped that the Royal Navy ships would be in a position to begin that evacuation within the next day or two.

Safe passage would be agreed in advance with Israel, the ambassador added.

A military reconnaissance team is in Beirut, looking out for the best exit points for the British citizens. If large numbers are evacuated by sea to the ports of Larnaca or Limassol in Cyprus or by air to RAF Akrotiri the aim will be to get them aboard chartered flights back to Britain.

With the tourism season nearly at its height, most hotels in Cyprus and scheduled flights are fully booked. Though some evacuees can be accommodated for a short time at Britain’s two sovereign military bases on the island. It is likely that they would be housed in tents or hangars.

Four of the 28 Britons who arrived yesterday at RAF Akrotiri were treated at the Princess Mary Hospital on the military base and were later discharged. Others left the base within hours to stay with friends or family on other parts of the island.

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