Britain is moving troops to South Cyprus to help its nationals leave Lebanon, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that the escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah was pushing the region towards the brink.

The British government said in a statement late on Tuesday that 700 troops would travel to the island, bolstering its presence in the area where it already has two Royal Navy ships, aircraft and transport helicopters.

“Events in the past hours and days have demonstrated how volatile this situation is, which is why our message is clear, British nationals should leave now,” said Defence Secretary John Healey.

“Our government is ensuring all preparations are in place to support British nationals should the situation deteriorate.”

Fierce fighting this week between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah has increased fears that nearly a year of conflict will explode and destabilise the Middle East, where a war between Hamas and Israel is already raging in Gaza.

Starmer said he was very concerned that the region was spiralling out of control.

“All parties need to pull back from the brink,” he said in an interview with LBC radio.

“I’m obviously going to New York to the UN General Assembly to talk to colleagues and allies, but my message will be very much ceasefire. Pull back from the brink. De-escalate the situation.”

Israel’s offensive since Monday morning has killed 569 people, including 50 children, and wounded 1,835 in Lebanon, Health Minister Firass Abiad has said.

Thousands of displaced people who fled from southern Lebanon were sheltering in schools and other buildings.

Israel has said it is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.