Australia to deploy surveillance aircraft in Middle East, send missiles to UAE, Prime Minister says
Australia’s military support would help the Gulf countries defend themselves against unprovoked attacks from Iran, Albanese said, stressing Australia was “not a protagonist.”
Australia will deploy a military surveillance aircraft to the Middle East and send missiles to the United Arab Emirates but will not put troops on the ground in Iran, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.
Australia’s military support would help the Gulf countries defend themselves against unprovoked attacks from Iran, Albanese said, stressing Australia was “not a protagonist.”
“Our involvement is purely defensive,” Albanese told reporters. “And it’s in defense of Australians who are in the region as well as in defense of our friends in the United Arab Emirates.”
Albanese said Australia would deploy one of its Boeing-manufactured E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control system aircraft for an initial four weeks to protect the airspace above the Gulf countries.
A ROYAL Australian Air Force Boeing E-7 Wedgetail aircraft is seen on display at the Australian International Airshow in Avalon, Australia, February 27, 2019. (credit: REUTERS/Jamie Freed/File Photo)
Advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles would be provided to the United Arab Emirates, following a phone call with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, he added.
Iran-Israel war shuts down Strait of Hormuz
The war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, as the conflict escalated.
Around 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the conflict began 11 days ago and 2,600 Australians have now returned home by commercial flights as several Gulf cities came under Iranian bombardment.
