Australia urges citizens to leave UAE as Middle East tensions escalate
Australia has urged family members of its diplomats and government staff in the United Arab Emirates to leave the country as regional security concerns grow.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Sunday that the security situation in the Middle East had deteriorated, prompting the government to update its travel warnings.
She also advised Australian citizens to avoid traveling to the UAE as authorities continue to monitor developments across the region.
According to Wong, more than 1,700 Australian citizens have already returned home from the UAE on commercial flights since the crisis began.
At the start of the regional conflict, around 115,000 Australian citizens were believed to be living or traveling across the Middle East.
The warning comes as tensions continue to rise following escalating military exchanges involving Iran, Israel and the United States, raising fears of a broader regional conflict.
Australia, a close ally of the United States, said it does not plan to deploy military forces to the region but is reviewing requests to help defend against Iranian drone and missile attacks.
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