Australia Orders Diplomatic Staff to Immediately Evacuate from Israel and UAE
Australia has ordered all non-essential diplomatic officials in Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to leave both countries immediately. The evacuation order was issued as the conflict between the United States and Israel with Iran continues to escalate.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated in her announcement, as reported by AFP on Friday (13 March 2026), that the directive for Australian diplomatic staff to evacuate from Israel and the UAE was based on “worsening security situations”.
“Essential Australian officials will remain in these countries to support Australian citizens in need,” Wong said in her statement on Thursday evening (12 March).
The Australian Government, according to Wong, continues to advise its citizens against travelling to Israel and the UAE.
“We urge you to leave the Middle East if you can and if it is safe to do so,” she cautioned.
“Do not wait until it is too late. This may be your last opportunity for some time,” Wong stated.
Australia has indicated that approximately 115,000 of its citizens are in the Middle East region. Approximately 2,600 of them have already returned to Australia.
The situation in the Middle East has escalated since the US and Israel launched a large-scale combined strike against Iran on 28 February. The series of strikes killed senior Tehran leaders and officials, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks against targets in Israel and Gulf nations that host US military assets, including the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.
Tehran’s series of attacks on Gulf countries reportedly killed at least 24 people in total, including 11 civilians and seven US military personnel.
Australia itself has stated its support for the US-Israeli strikes against Iran, which Canberra described as necessary action to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Australian authorities stated this week that they would deploy several long-range military surveillance aircraft to the Gulf region to protect civilians.