Britain has sent two warships to Lebanon in advance of a possible evacuation of up to 10,000 British citizens from the blockaded country, according to British media on Sunday.

The Ministry of Defense said it had sent the Royal Navy's flagship, the aircraft carrier Illustrious, and an amphibious assault ship, Bulwark, which is capable of carrying hundreds of people, the Independent daily reported.

Illustrious is currently at Gibraltar and Bulwark off the coast of Spain, by Barcelona.

Between 3,500 and 4,000 British families are registered in Lebanon, a Foreign Office spokesman said, with a further 10,000 individuals of dual nationality.

Others could be holidaying in the country, which has suffered days of bombardment and blockade by Israel, after two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and eight others killed by the militant group Hezbollah of Lebanon last Wednesday.

The international airport in Beirut is out of operation after its runways were destroyed and Israeli warships are blockading the country's ports, while the main road from Syria has also been bombed.

The British Defense Ministry said no final decision had yet been taken on a full-scale evacuation. A spokeswoman said it was making "contingency plans," adding that "we're advising British nationals to get ready for departure at short notice if the situation changes."

European nations have started voluntary evacuation of thousands of their citizens from Lebanon. France has lined up ferries to take some of its 17,000 citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus, where Air France flights will take them to Paris. A convoy of 410 Italians and other European Union citizens left Saturday.

The U.S. State Department said Saturday that it was trying to determine how it might take out some of the 25,000 Americans in Lebanon and remove them to Cyprus.

The escalating crisis in the Middle East is likely to force its way up on the agenda of a Group of Eight (G8) summit of the world's industrialized countries, which began in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday.

Source: Xinhua