AUSTRALIAN FM SAYS 115,000 CITIZENS STRANDED IN MIDDLE EAST

CANBERRA, March 2 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs said on Monday that an estimated 115,000 Australians are currently in the Middle East after flights in and out of the region were cancelled amid US-Israeli strikes against Iran, reported Xinhua.

Penny Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television that the federal government is awaiting updates on the resumption of commercial flights through the Middle East before committing to repatriation flights for stranded citizens.

"Given the number of people in the region, people will get home most quickly if we can facilitate people getting on commercial flights at the moment," she said.

In a statement issued earlier on Monday, Wong said that the government is now advising Australians not to travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Additionally, she said that Australians should reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Australian citizens already in the Middle East have been advised by the government to closely monitor events and local media, confirm plans directly with airlines or travel agents, review their travel insurance and follow the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the latest updates.

Wong said that DFAT has activated its Crisis Centre to provide consular support to Australians in the Middle East.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said the government has taken steps to protect the safety of around 100 defence force personnel currently based in the region.

--BERNAMA-XINHUA