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Vulnerable Britons trapped in a warzone will be evacuated on emergency charter flights, as Iranian drone strikes bring the region to a standstill. Some 130,000 desperate British citizens have told the Government they are stranded in the Middle East and cannot get home, as US and Israeli fighters launched devastating raids to take out Iran’s supreme leader over the weekend.

Terrified families face being caught in the crossfire as Iranian drones continue to rain down across the Emirates, with 51 of 133 flights from the UK cancelled on Tuesday alone. Iran, still reeling from an attack which saw the Ayatollah buried in the rubble of his own compound, have struck out at gulf states, and even fired explosives into hotels and oil refineries.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs she was in “close contact” with her counterparts across the region and had spoken on Monday with the UAE to help rescue stranded citizens. She said: “We are also working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat for British nationals, with priority for vulnerable nationals, and a Government charter flight will fly from Muscat in the coming days, prioritising vulnerable nationals.”

Ms Cooper added that “British nationals in Oman must wait to be contacted by the Foreign Office regarding these options, and we will continue to work 24/7 on supporting British nationals in the region”. She stressed the situation was “very fast moving” and warned the UK had an unprecedented number of British nationals living in the region with no way out.

Flight data shows the scale of the travel chaos, with planes grounded across the Gulf as the conflict continues to escalate. A separate British Airways flight will leave the region on Thursday and fly to London Heathrow, with the company saying it was “unable to operate flights from destinations including Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv”.

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The airline added: “We’re continuing to do everything we can to support customers and colleagues in the region, and are in regular contact with them.” The emergency flight, scheduled for 2.30am local time on Thursday, will shuttle select passengers back to safety in the United Kingdom.

Foreign Office travel advice continues to warn British nationals across the Middle East to “remain indoors in a secure location” as well as to “avoid all travel and follow instructions from the local authorities”. The stark warning comes as fears grow the conflict could spiral into a full-scale regional war, with Iran threatening retaliation for the weekend strikes.

British citizens living or holidaying in the region are urged to register their presence with the Government on the Foreign Office website so they can receive the most up-to-date information.