A special task group from the Australian Defence Force is preparing evacuation flights to rescue Australians stranded by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
However, while the army is putting personnel on alert for overseas deployment, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has put her trust in commercial flights.
Defence Minister Richard Marles earlier confirmed the government is preparing for all scenarios to assist about 115,000 Australians in the under-siege region.
It’s understood infantry personnel, logistics specialists, air movements personnel and aviators have all been put on standby in case Australians need to be airlifted from the region.
Marles also confirmed Australian Defence Force personnel at Al Minhad Air Base, in the United Arab Emirates, were safe following attacks from Iran over the weekend.
‘There was some drones which did attack that base on the first night,’ he told Sunrise.
‘We have a number of Australians who operate from a headquarters that we’ve had at Al Minhad now for many, many years. They’re all accounted for. They are all safe.’
Despite 12,0000 passengers flights being cancelled in the region since the conflict erupted on Saturday, Wong urged Australians trying to leave the region to still try their best to get commercial flights out rather than waiting for government flights.
The Australian Defence Force is preparing to evacuate thousands of Australians stranded in the Middle East but penny Wong urged those Aussies to continue trying to book a commercial flight (pictured are Emirates and Etihad Airways planes in Sydney on Tuesday)
Wong (above) claimed commercial flights would offer a quicker evacuation, despite 12,000 having been cancelled globally since Saturday
Dubai iconic Burj Al Arab was hit by drone strikes earlier this week
She argued commercial flights would be quicker than a military evacuation.
‘It is likely, in terms of volume, to be quicker, getting Australians home, if we can get commercial flights, if the airspace becomes available but we are working on a range of contingencies,’ Wong told reporters in Canberra.
‘It’s one of the contingencies we always look at but the scale of the numbers at the moment means that commercial flights resuming will be the most effective way to get Australians home.’
The Department of Foreign Affairs has urged all Australians stuck in the Middle East, or those with Australian loved ones in the Middle East, to register through the dedicated emergency portal on Smartraveller.
Those registered will receive regular updates about the escalating conflict, safety situation and potential evacuation plans.
Daily Mail has contacted DFAT for further comment.
