Australia considers providing military aid to the Middle East
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Australia is considering providing military assistance to Middle Eastern countries affected by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, but will not deploy troops to contribute to the war effort.
Australia’s top diplomat, Penny Wong, on Sunday confirmed that Australia is considering providing assistance to ‘many countries not directly involved’ that have been affected by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
‘We are not participating in offensive actions against Iran, and we have made clear that we will not take part in the deployment of ground troops to Iran,’ Wong said.
‘This is not Iraq, and we are not a Howard government. We are not asking the Australian people to have our men and women deployed into a land war,’ she added.
Wong said Canberra’s military aid could help provide protection against Iran’s drone and missile attacks.
‘We have been asked for it, and we will consider it in accordance with the principles of (foreign policy). If a decision is taken, I am confident we will be transparent to the Australian people,’ she said.
In related developments, a flight from Dubai to Melbourne carrying 151 Australians was scheduled to arrive on Sunday, while another flight would land in Sydney later that night.
More than 1,500 Australians have returned home by air from the United Arab Emirates since international flight operations reopened.
It was noted that around 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
The tensions in the Middle East region have escalated since the United States and Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran on February 28, which killed more than 1,000 people, including the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, more than 150 schoolgirls, as well as senior military officials.
Iran has retaliated with a series of large-scale attacks targeting US bases, diplomatic facilities, and military personnel across the region, as well as several cities in Israel. The attacks have continued to escalate.
Source: Anadolu