”My government is clear: we are not taking aggressive action against Iran and we are not sending Australian troops on the ground into Iranian territory,” Albanese said.
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Australia is to send the UAE advanced fighter jets and air-to-air missiles. Australia is to help the UAE protect the countries of West Asia from a possible attack by Iran.
He also clarified that Australia's military assistance is for self-defense. 'My government is clear: we are not taking offensive action against Iran and we are not sending Australian troops from the ground on Iranian territory,' he said.
Iran has targeted its neighbors in the West Asia region in response to the US-Israeli attack. Earlier, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed had warned Iran not to attack again. He said that if there is another attack, there will be a counterattack.
Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese said that 12 countries from Cyprus to the Gulf have been affected by the ongoing conflict in West Asia. He said that military equipment is being sent for the self-defense of those countries.
Albanese said the safety of the 115,000 Australians living in the Middle East (24,000 of whom are in the UAE) was a priority. “Protecting the Australian people means supporting the UAE and other Gulf states in their self-defence.”
He said 2,600 Australians had returned from the Middle East in the past week. Australia’s opposition Greens Party has opposed Prime Minister Albanese’s announcement. The party alleges that Albanese’s decision risks pushing Australia into another endless US-led war.
Greens Senator Larissa Waters expressed concern that Australians would be at risk with the government’s announcement. She said Australians did not want to be dragged into Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war with Iran.
