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Suddenly!! The Australian military base was bombed by Iran! Australia was involved in the war in the Middle East! 115,000 people were trapped, and the situation was completely out of control! The pressure on the federal government to evacuate citizens suddenly soared…
This article is reproduced from the WeChat public account: Aozhiwang
Completely out of control!
The war in the Middle East spreads to Australia!
The Australian military base was bombed!
100 Australian soldiers narrowly escaped death…
at the same time
Many countries in the Middle East closed their airspace urgently!
Flights are being canceled on a large scale!
More than 115,000 Australians
Trapped in the Middle East and unable to leave!
Australia’s evacuation encounters difficulties!
The situation in the Middle East continues to escalate!
While the conflicts between Iran, Israel, and the United States continue to expand, a piece of news made many Australians take a breath of cold air. Iran’s attacks have affected Australian military bases!
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles confirmed that a drone struck the Al Minhad air base about 40 kilometers outside Dubai as Iran launched a retaliatory operation. And this base is an important operations center used by the Australian Defense Force for a long time!
What makes people even more nervous is that there were about 100 Australian Defense Force personnel stationed at the base at the time.
Fortunately, all Australian personnel involved in the attack were eventually determined to be “safe and contactable”. Marles also made it clear: “No Australians were injured in the attack.”
But even so, this news still makes people feel nervous! Because this is no longer a simple conflict in the Middle East, but the Australian army is actually within the scope of the war!
According to information provided by the Australian Department of Defense, approximately 100 active Australian Defense Force (ADF) personnel are currently deployed in the Middle East, with most of them stationed in the United Arab Emirates.
The Al Minhad Air Force Base is no stranger to Australia.
Since 2003, it has been the Australian Defense Force’s key operational headquarters in the Middle East. Even after Australia withdraws its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, this base will still retain a small-scale Australian force.
In other words, this place has long played the role of Australia’s military fulcrum in the Middle East.
But now, with the rapid expansion of conflicts in the Middle East, this base has also been involved in the war!
What’s even more shocking is that the attacks didn’t just target military installations.
During the weekend when Iran launched retaliatory actions, many landmarks in Dubai were also affected. Including the world-famous luxury hotel Burj Al Arab (Burj Al Arab), the artificial island landmark Palm Jumeirah (Palm Island), and the area near Dubai International Airport, scenes of explosions and smoke were reported.
Photos show thick smoke rising over a hotel on Palm Island, and the scene is shocking.
You know, Dubai has always been considered one of the safest and most prosperous cities in the Middle East. Nowadays, scenes of attacks have appeared even near these world-class landmarks, causing many people to say: The situation is really out of control!
For Australia, this is not the first time such a risk has occurred.
As early as 2019, an Iraqi military base housing more than 300 Australian soldiers was attacked by rockets. At that time, the base was hit by three rockets, and Australian soldiers were almost involved in the conflict.
At that time, the Australian army was conducting a joint training mission with New Zealand.
And now, just a few years later, a similar thrilling scene appears again!
When talking about this escalating military operation, Defense Minister Marles also reiterated the Australian government’s position. He said that the Anthony Albanese administration supports the military actions taken by the United States and Israel against Iran.
He emphasized that the core goal of these actions is to prevent Iran from acquiring deployable nuclear weapons.
In Marles’ view, if Iran possesses this capability, it “will bring disaster to the world.”
But at the same time, he also admitted that almost no one can predict how long this conflict will last.
As the war spreads, a more realistic problem is emerging:
What about Australians in the Middle East?
As the conflict expands, it is not just the soldiers stationed there who are truly in trouble.
The bigger problem is,Ordinary Australians are being trapped in the Middle East!
According to Australian government statistics, the number of Australian citizens in the entire Middle East is currently as high as115,000 people。
Under normal circumstances, there are approximately11,000 Australian touristsWill pass through this area for transfer. But now, all of this has suddenly been paused!
Hours after the attack, several countries, including the United Arab Emirates, declared emergencyClose airspace. Key air corridors were blocked and flights were canceled on a large scale.
This decision directly puts tens of thousands of passengers around the world in a dilemma.
On the departure screen at Melbourne Airport, flights to the Middle East have been “cancelled”. The runway of Sydney Airport was also filled with planes that were preparing to take off.
Data from flight tracking website FlightAware showed that as of 5 p.m. Monday, there had beenMore than 5,000 flights delayedand the number of canceled flights exceeded1,400！
This means that many people are suddenly trapped in airports, hotels and even unfamiliar cities.
Aviation expert Steven Leib pointed out that even if the airspace is reopened in the future, the resumption of flights will not be completed immediately.
He said that major airlines must conduct detailed inspections before resuming flights.risk assessment。
Especially for airlines headquartered in the Middle East, their business will be directly affected and their motivation to resume flights will be stronger.
But airlines with only a handful of weekly flights to the Middle East may be more cautious.
The reason is simple: no airline is willing to take the risk of a passenger plane being shot down!
Therefore, even if the situation eases slightly, flight resumption may requireweeks。
This also means that a large number of passengers will still be forced to be stranded.
In Dubai, a couple from Bendigo, Victoria, experienced a thrilling scene.
Helen Boak and her partner Alan Angrove were planning to travel to Uganda while transiting in Dubai. As a result, the airspace was suddenly closed and they were trapped in the hotel.
Boak described that the hotel even sent staff toRooftop pool observes the sky around the clockspecifically monitoring whether drones or missiles are flying over.
Although hotel staff tried to calm guests, tensions remained palpable.
To make matters worse, local supermarket supplies are starting to run low.
Boak said they can onlyStay in your room and wait for news that flights will resume.。
At the same time, the Australian government is also facing tremendous pressure.
Although some countries have begun arranging evacuation flights, Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian has not yet committed to arranging large-scale evacuation of overseas Chinese immediately.
She said that considering the number of people is as high as 115,000,The fastest way is still to wait for commercial flights to resume。
But the opposition shadow defense secretary James Paterson called on the government to use the military if commercial flights cannot resume.military transport capabilityAssist Australians to leave.
Currently, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has launched round-the-clock operations to provide assistance to local Australian citizens.
At the same time, the United States is also responding urgently.
The U.S. consulate in Dubai has been evacuated after a drone strike sparked a fire. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that all consulate personnel have been confirmed safe.
Australian Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian described the escalating situation as a “consular crisis.”
She said that in terms of the scale of the people involved, this crisis makes any consular incident Australia has handled in the past seem insignificant!
In other words, this is not only a war conflict, but also a conflict involvingA huge crisis for the fate of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people。
The war in the Middle East continues to escalate. The conflict that originally seemed far away is now getting closer and closer to Australia! The Australian military base was attacked, 115,000 Australians were stranded in the Middle East, flights were grounded, and the airspace was closed. The combination of these news made people aware of the seriousness of the situation. Many people who were just traveling or transiting were suddenly trapped in the shadow of war, and even their way home became uncertain. War is never a picture in the news, but will truly affect the lives of countless ordinary people. I just hope that the situation will not continue to deteriorate and that those trapped can return home safely as soon as possible.
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