Australia deploys military aircraft to Middle East in contingency planning
The Straits Times
Australia has said it has 115,000 citizens in the region. Read more at straitstimes.com.
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SYDNEY – Australia has deployed two military aircraft to the Middle East as part of contingency planning, two officials told AFP on March 5.
Countries have rushed to evacuate their citizens from the Middle East this week after US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sparked a regional war.
Officials told AFP that Australia had deployed a heavy transport aircraft and a fuel transport aircraft to the Middle East as part of plans to get its citizens out.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also told Parliament on March 5 that “military assets” had been deployed to the Middle East, though he did not give further details.
“I thank those Australians going into a dangerous situation in order to help their fellow Australians,” he said.
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