Hello and welcome to today's independent travel podcast with me, Simon Calder. It's Monday

the 5th of August and if you have been following the news, you will be aware that tensions in the

Middle East are increasing. There is the increasing likelihood of revenge attack perhaps by Hezbollah on Israel and the airlines and

governments are doing what they can to respond. Let me just tell you what the foreign office

is saying about travel to Lebanon. Well, effectively it is very simply get out quickly. That's because they are very

worried that if you do not do that, you will find that you can't get out. There's an estimated

three or four thousand British citizens who are still in Lebanon, very much not a travel destination at the moment, but somewhere

where the perceived danger is extremely high. They say that there are ongoing mortar and artillery

exchanges and air strikes in Lebanon and the problem is going to be exacerbated. People won't be able

to leave. The Foreign Secretary has said that British nationals should leave Lebanon while commercial

flights are still operating. Australia's government is even more emphatic saying take the first available flight,

don't wait for a preferred route.

Beirut airport could close.

You may be unable to leave for an extended period.

Airlines may cancel more flights or set high ticket prices for any remaining flights. At the moment, there are

ways to travel out of Beirut. Middle East Airlines has regular flights to London Heathrow. So if you

are there or you've got loved ones there, that is the official advice. I'm taking a wider look at

the area because WISair has suspended all its flights

to and from Israel and Jordan, quotes, due to the escalating situation in the region. The flight,

for instance, due out today from Luton to Israel's main airport Tel Aviv is suspended

there's a whole range of continental European links on whizier to Israel which are not going

ahead and British Airways which had been flying a strange routing that basically went

...