SYDNEY: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Thursday that "military assets" have been deployed to the Middle East as a contingency plan. Six crisis response teams are also heading to the region.
Albanese stated, "We've already deployed military assets as part of our contingency planning earlier this week." He also expressed gratitude to Australians entering a dangerous situation to assist fellow citizens.
While details on the specific assets were not provided, reports suggest they include aircraft. Australia has an estimated 115,000 citizens in the region. New Zealand has also dispatched military aircraft for potential citizen evacuations.