Australians told to leave Lebanon immediately as Dutton flies to Israel
By Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam and Timour Azhari
The federal government has advised Australians not to travel to Lebanon and warned those in the country should “leave immediately” while commercial flights are still available as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton left on an official visit to Israel.
Australia, along with the United States, UK, France and Germany have issued warnings to their citizens travelling in the region as tensions escalate between terrorist group Hezbollah and Israel over a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that struck a soccer field killing 12 children and teens.
A woman from the Druze minority weeps near the site where 12 children and teens were killed in a rocket strike on a soccer field.Credit: AP
Flights in and out of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, Lebanon’s only airport, were cancelled and delayed on Monday. The airport has been targeted in the country’s civil war, and previous fighting with Israel, including in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
“We continue to advise that Australians do not travel to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further,” advice on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website Smartraveller said.
“Australians in Lebanon should leave immediately while commercial flights remain available. The security situation could deteriorate rapidly throughout Lebanon with little or no notice. Some airlines have postponed or cancelled some flights. Further flight cancellations and disruptions could occur with little or no notice.
“Beirut airport could close, and you may be unable to leave for an extended period. Airlines may cancel more flights or set high ticket prices for any remaining flights. There may also be other travel disruptions. The Australian Government may not be able to assist you to leave in such circumstances.”
Dutton left Australia on Monday for a four-day trip to Israel where he will meet with members of the Israeli government and people affected by the October 7 attack.
“The connections between Australia and Israel are deep and abiding,” Dutton said in a statement.
“Today, Australia and Israel have a strong bilateral relationship traversing trade, agriculture, technology, security and more. It’s a relationship which will only grow stronger built around our devotion to democracy in a world where our values and way of life faces old and new threats.”
The United States is leading the diplomatic dash to deter Israel from striking Lebanon’s capital Beirut or major civil infrastructure in response to a deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights, five people with knowledge of the drive said.
Washington is racing to avert a full-blown war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah after the attack on Golan Heights, according to the five people who include Lebanese and Iranian officials plus Middle Eastern and European diplomats.
Israel and the US have blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike, though the group has denied responsibility.
The focus of the high-speed diplomacy has been to constrain Israel’s response by urging it against targeting densely populated Beirut, the southern suburbs of the city that form Hezbollah’s heartland, or key infrastructure like airports and bridges, said the sources who requested anonymity to discuss confidential details that haven’t been previously reported.
Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab, who said he had been in contact with US mediator Amos Hochstein since Saturday’s Golan attack, said Israel could avert the threat of major escalation by sparing the capital and its environs.
“If they avoid civilians and they avoid Beirut and its suburbs, then their attack could be well calculated,” he said.
Israeli officials have said that their country wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the region into all-out war. The two Middle Eastern and European diplomats said Israel hadn’t made any commitment to avoiding strikes on Beirut, its suburbs or civil infrastructure.
The US State Department said it wouldn’t comment on the specifics of diplomatic conversations. “Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah,” a spokesperson said.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said that Israel had every right to respond to the Golan strike. “But nobody wants a broader war,” he added. “As for conversations over the weekend, you bet we’ve had them and we had them at multiple levels. But I’m not going to detail the guts of those conversations.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment, while Hezbollah declined to comment.
Reuters
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