UK government to facilitate flights out of Israel for British nationals

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will facilitate flights out of Israel to help its citizens leave the country, with the first such flight due to depart Tel Aviv later on Thursday, the foreign office said in a statement.

"Vulnerable British nationals will be prioritised for these flights. At this stage we will contact those who are eligible for the flights directly and British nationals should not make their way to the airport unless they are called," the foreign office statement said.

The flights would be open to British nationals and dual-nationals. Their dependents would also be eligible if travelling with a British national normally resident in the UK.

They would be commercial flights, with tickets costing 300 pounds ($369.12), the foreign office said.

($1 = 0.8127 pounds)

(Reporting by William James, editing by Andrew MacAskill and Sarah Young)