Australians Stranded: Flight from Dubai May Depart

A significant consular crisis is unfolding as tens of thousands of Australians remain stranded in the United Arab Emirates due to widespread flight disruptions. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed that a flight scheduled to depart Dubai for Sydney on Wednesday morning might leave, but warned the situation is perilous and subject to cancellation. This crisis is described as dwarfing previous consular challenges faced by Australia in terms of numbers.

While some limited flights are resuming from the UAE, many services are still grounded, leaving an estimated 115,000 Australians potentially stranded across the Middle East. The conflict has spread to the broader region, impacting travel options through Saudi Arabia and Oman. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has engaged with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayad el Nahyan and New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to discuss the crisis and the potential restart of commercial flights.

International law expert Ben Saul has labelled recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran as illegal armed aggression, asserting that every death constitutes a violation of human rights. He criticized the Australian government for supporting these strikes while evading questions about their legality. Australia was among the first nations to back the weekend strikes, leading to Iran's retaliation with drones and missiles targeting neighboring states, further exacerbating regional instability and travel chaos.