Australia sends aircraft and troops to Middle East in case ‘this gets worse’

Marles would not say where in the region Australia would base its troops, or how many, but told the ABC a C-17 transporter and a KC-30 tanker would join an existing aircraft on standby, in the event Australians across the wider Middle East needed sudden evacuation.

“We’re not identifying where they will be, but the point of this is to provide support to Australian populations who are in the Middle East, if this gets worse, in essence,” he said.

“It’s a volatile situation. We very much hope it doesn’t. We hope that this is confined to Israel and Gaza but, you know, we are all watching this, as the world is watching this, and we want to make sure that we’re prepared if matters get worse.”

Marles said Australians who are in countries surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, such as Lebanon, should leave if given the opportunity.

“Take the commercial options that are available to you and make your departure,” he said. “This is a volatile situation. We don’t exactly know how this is going to play out. We, as a government, will do what we can but, if you want to leave, make sure that you take your opportunities now.”

Nearly 6,000 people, mostly civilians, including more than 2,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. There are at least 79 Australian citizens in Gaza who still have no clear way of leaving the besieged region, as the border crossing with Egypt remains largely closed.