Australians warned that Iran attack increases risk of ‘further escalation’ and flight cancellations in region

Australia’s department of foreign affairs has warned of the risk of “reprisal attacks and further escalation” across the Middle East after Israel and the US launched an attack on Iran on Saturday.Shortly after the attacks began, Dfat updated its “Smartraveller” website’s entry on Iran, confirming that “there have been air strikes on Iran, including in Tehran and other locations”.“There is a risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region,” the website said.“Closure of airspace around transit hubs may impact flights globally, causing delays and cancellations. We continue to advise do not travel to Iran and leave Iran as soon as possible, if it’s safe to do so. Regional tensions remain high and there continues to be a risk of military conflict.”“If you remain in Iran, be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period. Make sure you have supplies of water, food and medication. The security situation in Iran is extremely volatile. Avoid public gatherings and protests. Australians, including dual nationals, are at a high risk of being detained.” The Australian embassy’s operations in Iran are suspended.Just a few hours before the attack began, Australia’s foreign minister Penny Wong reposted on Twitter the latest updated warnings for Australians in the Middle East.The warnings advised of the “risk of military conflict”.“If you’re in Israel or Lebanon, consider leaving while commercial options to depart are still available,” the advice said. “Conflict could lead to airspace closures, flight cancellations and other disruptions.”On Wednesday last week Australia announced it was withdrawing all the dependants of Australian officials from Israel and Lebanon “due to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East”, and offered voluntary evacuation for the dependants of officials in Jordan, Qatar and the UAE.