Overview
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong directed non-essential officials to depart Israel and the United Arab Emirates, with essential staff staying to provide consular support.
- Australia has temporarily closed its embassies in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv and its consulate in Dubai due to escalating missile and drone threats.
- Wong urged Australian expatriates to take available commercial seats now, warning that limited services could "dry up."
- Officials report assisting more than 3,200 Australians to depart on government-facilitated commercial flights since the late-February escalation.
- Smartraveller retains do-not-travel advisories for multiple Middle East countries as authorities note roughly 115,000 Australians were in the region when the crisis began.