Mark White issues Europe a warning as Israel Iran conflict will trigger 'huge movement of people'

Around one million people had been displaced across Lebanon since Israeli air strikes began last month, the prime minister added.

Speaking on Good Afternoon Britain, Emily Carver asked: "What is the scale of this latest invasion from Israel? Could it be that we see a mass movement of people to neighbouring countries?"

Watch: Mark White warns Israel attacks on Lebanon will trigger "huge movement of people" 

White answered: "Well, this is the worry. And of course, that will impact us here, because anytime there's an international conflict, you've got people on the move, and a significant number of them end up trying to get into Europe, up to northern France and across the English Channel, to the UK.

"And already we've got the Lebanese prime Minister saying that a million plus people in Lebanon are internally displaced. Now, that doesn't mean that they've fled the country.

"They're there in the country but not able to live in their homes at the moment. But it's clear that Israel wants to continue this operation.

"It's limited for the moment, but they are determined to push this terrorist group, Hezbollah, back from the southern border with northern Israel because, according to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, they really have intelligence that points to the fact that Hezbollah was planning an assault on northern Israel, similar to the deadly assault that happened in Gaza, in the surrounding communities surrounding Gaza about a year ago."

Whenever there is international conflict across the world, refugees flee their country for safer nations to escape war and prosecution.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, around six million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded across Europe, and an additional 3.7 million have been displaced within the country.

According to the House of Commons Library, Russia currently hosts the highest number of Ukrainian refugees (1.2 million) followed by Germany (1.2 million) and Poland (957,500).

The latest figures from September 2024 show around 247,000 Ukrainian refugees are in the UK.

After more than four decades of conflict in Afghanistan, by the end of 2023 an estimated 6.4 million refugees are reported globally.

Figures from The UN Refugee Agency show Afghan refugees are the third-largest displaced population in the world after Syrian and Ukrainian refugees.

Iran hosts at least 4.5 million Afghan refugees, of which 71 per cent are women and children, who have arrived since 2021.

The House of Commons Library reported that since 2021, 29,000 people from Afghanistan have been resettled in the UK.

Another 20,000 Syrians have also been relocated to the UK between 2014 and 2020.