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The Australian Government has temporarily closed three diplomatic missions in the Middle East over safety concerns due to the crisis in the region and the Iran war.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday said no fewer than nine cities in the Middle East, where some of their diplomatic missions are situated, have been hit by missile and drone attacks.
“At least nine cities in which we have Australian embassies and consulates have experienced missile and drone attacks. Our missions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Tel Aviv have all had to physically close in the last week,” Wong said.
She added that as of Wednesday, more than 3,200 Australians in the Middle East have returned on 23 commercial flights arranged or facilitated with government assistance. Wong also urged other Australians in the region to leave the region.
When the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes against Iran on February 28, they plunged the Middle East into a major regional crisis, which has gone on to impact the rest of the world.
According to the Australian Government, approximately 115,000 Australian citizens were present across the Middle East when the conflict initially erupted.
Iran responded with a large number of missile and drone attacks across the Persian Gulf and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Those retaliation strikes have targeted military sites, critical infrastructure, airports, and economic hubs in neighbouring states.
As a result, many Middle Eastern countries closed or restricted their airspace, leading to a near‑halt in regular commercial flights for several days. Countries struggle to evacuate their nationals, and foreigners scramble for limited commercial flights.
