Canberra, June 20
The Australian government has deployed military assets to the Middle East to help evacuate citizens from Iran and Israel.
Penny Wong, the minister for foreign affairs, said on Friday that Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East as part of contingency plans to help Australian citizens leave the region if the airspace that is currently closed reopens.
"I also emphasise we are sending defence assets to help Australians. They are not there for combat," she told reporters in South Australia.
On top of the ADF assets, she said, a crisis response team from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will be sent to Azerbaijan to support Australians who manage to leave Iran without government assistance.
As of Friday, about 2,000 Australian citizens in Iran and 1,200 in Israel had registered with DFAT for government assistance to evacuate.
Wong said that any Australian who can safely leave Iran is urged to do so and that those who cannot should shelter in place.
Earlier in the day, the Australian government suspended its embassy operations in Iran's capital and ordered officials to leave the country amid the escalating military conflict in the region.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, said that the government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and their dependents from Iran and suspended operations at the embassy in Tehran based on advice about the "deteriorating" security environment.
She said in a statement that Australia's Ambassador to Iran will remain in the region to support the government's response to the crisis and that Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) consular staff will be deployed to Azerbaijan to support Australians departing Iran.
"We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe. Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place," Wong added.
As of Friday, more than 2,000 Australian citizens had registered with DFAT for assistance leaving Iran.
However, Italy will maintain operations at its embassies in both Tehran and Tel Aviv amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, while organising charter flights to assist Italian nationals wishing to leave the two countries, Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces announced that it had carried out a series of overnight airstrikes in Tehran, targeting dozens of sites linked to Iran's missile and nuclear weapons programmes.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Australia is doing the right thing by prioritizing citizen safety. India should also have similar rapid evacuation plans ready given how many Indians work in Gulf countries. Our MEA should take notes! 🇮🇳
Interesting that they specifically mention these are not combat forces. Shows how tense the situation is in Middle East right now. Hope our Indian brothers and sisters working in the region stay safe ðŸ™
Australia has only 3200 citizens to evacuate while India has lakhs in Gulf countries. Our Operation Raahat during Yemen crisis was much bigger scale. Still, good to see countries taking responsibility for their people.
The decision to keep ambassador in region but move staff to Azerbaijan is smart. India follows similar protocols - our diplomats showed great courage during Ukraine evacuation. Stay safe everyone! ✈ï¸
While evacuation is important, I hope global powers focus more on preventing conflicts rather than just preparing for evacuations. The Middle East has suffered enough wars. Diplomacy should be priority.
Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments on the Australian military deployment to the Middle East: We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.