Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that Australia will deploy an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and 85 Australian Defence Force personnel to the United Arab Emirates to help defend Gulf states from Iranian missile and drone attacks.
The aircraft will provide “long-range reconnaissance capabilities” to help “protect and secure the airspace above the Gulf,” with the deployment expected to begin operations by the end of the week for an initial four-week mission.
Albanese stressed the move was defensive and aimed at protecting Australians in the region.
“The first priority of my government is and always will be to keep Australians safe,” he said, noting that around 115,000 Australians are currently in the Middle East, including 24,000 in the UAE.
The government will also provide the UAE with medium-range air-to-air missiles, while Defence Minister Richard Marles reiterated that Australia would not take offensive action against Iran.
The decision has received cautious political responses, with Coalition figures broadly supportive but seeking briefings, while the Greens criticised the move, accusing Australia of “bowing to pressure from the United States.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also urged Australians in the Middle East who wish to leave to do so immediately while commercial flights remain available, as Iranian attacks across the Gulf region continue to escalate.
Source: ABC News
