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Australia Urges Citizens to Leave Lebanon Due to Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

FILE PHOTO: Cars queue as they drop passengers outside the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Cars queue as they drop passengers outside the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Australia Urges Citizens to Leave Lebanon Due to Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

FILE PHOTO: Cars queue as they drop passengers outside the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Cars queue as they drop passengers outside the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut, Lebanon July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Australia has asked its citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately, saying there was a real risk that the tensions between Israel and militant group Hezbollah could escalate seriously.
The request follows similar advisories by allies the United States and Britain this week, reported Reuters.
"Now is the time to leave, the security situation could deteriorate quickly with little or no notice," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a video posted on social media platform X late on Wednesday.
Wong said Beirut airport could shut down completely if the situation worsens, potentially stranding people wishing to leave for "an extended period" and urged Australians to use commercial flights while they operate.
The Middle East has been on the edge for months amid Israel's war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Some 15,000 Australians reside in Lebanon, with the number rising by thousands during the country's summer months of June to September, according to the Australian Foreign Affairs website. Around half a million Australians reported Lebanese ancestry in the 2021 census.

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US Not Expecting Surge in Attacks on Troops in Iraq, Syria, Defense Secretary Says 

Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)
Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)
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US Not Expecting Surge in Attacks on Troops in Iraq, Syria, Defense Secretary Says 

Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)
Members of the Iraqi Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mourn during a funeral of their colleague, who was killed in an airstrike in southern Baghdad, during a funeral procession in Baghdad, Iraq, 31 July 2024. (EPA)

Despite a spike in tensions in the Middle East, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday he did not currently expect Iran-backed militias to step up attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria, as they have in the past.

The United States on Tuesday carried out a strike in Iraq that US officials described as self-defense, one of a series of high-profile attacks in the region over the past day that also included an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was also assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday morning.

"I think, quite frankly, I don't see a return to where we were several months ago, not yet," Austin told reporters as he departed the Philippines.

Between Oct. 7 and February, US troops were attacked over 160 times in Iraq and Syria, usually with a mix of rockets and one-way attack drones, prompting the United States to mount several retaliatory attacks.

The deadliest attack was in late January, when an Iranian-made drone killed three US soldiers and wounded dozens more near the Jordan border.

Since then, there had been a lull in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria. But last week, multiple rockets were launched toward Iraq's Ain al-Asad airbase housing US-led forces, US and Iraqi sources said. US officials said none had hit the base, and no damage or casualties were reported.

"The safety and protection of our troops is really, really important to me. That's why, you know, you saw us take some measures to protect ourselves here," Austin added.

Asked if the recent attacks on US forces were connected to rising tensions between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel, Austin said: "I think it's all connected."

Haniyeh's assassination drew threats of revenge on Israel and fueled further concern that the conflict in Gaza could be turning into a wider Middle East war.

Although the attack was widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said merely that Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran's proxies over the past few days.

Asked about the killing, Austin said he had heard the reports but did not have any information to provide.