Lede: A British military official told lawmakers this week that the presence of
UK forces near the occupied Palestinian territories also aims to ‘deter Iran’
from joining the war
Elite UK forces have been undergoing training in Lebanon to prepare for
potential "rescue missions" aimed at retrieving British citizens held by Hamas
in the Gaza Strip.
"Hundreds of elite UK troops are training in Lebanon to rescue Britons trapped
in the Middle East warzone," the Daily Mail reported on 7 November, adding that
the operations "could include saving Britons trapped in Gaza."
"Clearly, there is a prospect, if the conflict does expand, of a non-combatant
extraction operation. We are posturing ourselves for that. We are [also]
exploiting the network we have, so, for example, we have our special operations
forces, the Rangers, in Lebanon. They have built up a very close relationship
with Lebanese armed forces," UK Chief of General Staff Patrick Sanders told
British MPs in the House of Commons defense committee on Tuesday.
"That provides an insight and influence on Lebanese decision-making and seeing
things from the other side of the northern border, which clearly concerns
Israel."
The UK general added that London seeks to reassure allied countries and launch
humanitarian operations, such as aid delivery and the establishment of field
hospitals.
British forces are unlikely to be "drawn into combat or conflict" and are
looking to "avert that," he said.
Sanders said that "an airlift could be mounted alongside Lebanon's air assault
troops who have trained with British airborne forces," according to Daily Mail.
He also said that the nearby presence of British forces aims to deter Iran from
joining the war between Israel and Hamas.
Daily Mail also cites British concerns that UK citizens "in countries such as
Lebanon could be taken hostage by the likes of Iran-backed Hezbollah."
At least 12 UK nationals were reportedly killed during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
on 7 October, and five are being held prisoner by the Gaza resistance.
UK Justice Secretary Alex Chalk told Sky News on 7 October that three Britons
are believed to still be in captivity inside Gaza. He added that around 100
British nationals have been able to leave Gaza.
British Special Forces may already be playing a role in assisting Israel in
Gaza. The UK government has recently issued notices to the media to suppress
reports of the operations of the Special Air Service (SAS) in Gaza.
On 28 October, the Socialist Worker, the newspaper of the Socialist Workers
Party, revealed it had been sent a "D Notice" from the Defense and Security
Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee requesting it not publish information relating
to the operations of the SAS.
The British state uses D Notices to veto news publications that can damage its
interests.
Sanders' comments to the defense committee come as US military officials are
working closely with Israel to coordinate the ongoing Israeli ground invasion of
the Gaza Strip.
US special forces have been coordinating with Israeli troops for the ground
assault. Former Pentagon Advisor Douglas MacGregor confirmed in an interview
late last month that a US special force entered Gaza with Israeli troops and
suffered heavy casualties after being "shot to pieces."
-- https://new.thecradle.co/articles/uk-special-forces-training-in-lebanon-for-potential-gaza-entry
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