3 Australian Diplomatic Missions in West Asia Closed

CANBERRA, March 12 (Xinhua) — Three Australian diplomatic missions in West Asia have had to physically close in the last week, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.

“At least nine cities in which we have Australian embassies and consulates have experienced missile and drone attacks. Our missions in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Tel Aviv have all had to physically close in the last week,” Wong said in the Senate.

More than 3,200 Australians have returned on 23 commercial flights as of Wednesday, Wong said, urging Australians to leave the region if commercial flights are available.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously revealed that there are around 115,000 Australians in West Asia, with around 24,000 of those in the United Arab Emirates.