Royal Marines are poised to lead 'Dunkirk-style' evacuation of Britons living ... trends now
Royal Marines are poised to lead a 'Dunkirk-style' evacuation of thousands of UK nationals from the Middle East after Iran launched a huge drone and missile attack against Israel last night.
Commandos have already conducted reconnaissance along the Lebanese coastline ahead of a potential maritime rescue mission.
The daring mission - reminiscent of the huge effort to evacuate 338,000 British troops stranded in France by the Germans during the opening salvo of the Second World War in 1940 - was exclusively revealed by the Mail on Friday.
It came a day before Tehran launched a huge aerial bombardment on Saturday evening, which was in retaliation of a deadly consul blast an an Iranian embassy in Syria that killed 13 people
Speaking exclusively to the Mail earlier this week, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed he 'stands ready' to assist any Britons trapped in the region.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps on a visit to Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, to tour the base and meet troops
One video shared with MailOnline showed the Iron Dome intercepting a missile
Around a hundred drones and missiles were fired at Israel
The Foreign Office has already advised all UK citizens to leave Lebanon.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said there remained a 'serious threat' of attack while it was reported that Iran had sent a message to Washington warning them against the involvement of US troops in the region.
The evacuation plans, codenamed Operation Meteoric, will be spearheaded by the UK's 'Green Berets' and supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The Mail has been told a party of Marines from 30 Commando arrived in the region in recent days.
Operation Meteoric has been likened to Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940 when they were surrounded by German forces.
Israel and its allies remain braced for a huge Iranian response to the attack on its Syrian consulate earlier this month, which left 13 dead, including a senior Iranian commander.
While Israel has not claimed responsibility for the blast it is widely considered to have been behind it.
Iran's response may also involve the heavily armed military group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon.
Tonight, intelligence reports
