Operation Highbrow
| Operation Highbrow | |
|---|---|
| Part of 2006 Lebanon War | |
HMS Bulwark is seen after disembarking 1,000 passengers in Cyprus | |
| Operational scope | Rescue/evacuation |
| Locations | Beirut, Lebanon 33°54′09″N 35°30′43″E / 33.9026°N 35.5119°E Akrotiri, Cyprus 34°34′10″N 32°56′11″E / 34.5695°N 32.9364°E |
| Commanded by | Royal Navy |
| Objective | Evacuation of British nationals from Lebanon |
| Date | 15 July 2006 (UTC+02:00) |
| Executed by | Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK Government |
| Outcome | Successful evacuation of between 3,500 and 4,000 civilians |
| Casualties | 0 |
Beirut Akrotiri | |
Operation Highbrow was a British Ministry of Defence (MoD) operation to evacuate civilians from Beirut as a result of the escalating 2006 Lebanon War. Initially, helicopters started ferrying the most vulnerable to Cyprus with several Royal Navy ships later transporting evacuees across the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus. The operation involved Royal Navy surface ships and helicopters, with Royal Air Force helicopters also providing support and transit. The operation was described as being the largest evacuation that Britain was involved in since Dunkirk.
The parallel French operation is Opération Baliste, which involved French Navy and French Army assets. They evacuated some 14,500 people had been evacuated (including 11,300 French citizens).