ADF being deployed to Middle East; Trapped Aussies furious over evacuation

Australia is sending defence personnel and warplanes to the Middle East as the government works to evacuate citizens caught up in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Australia is sending defence personnel and warplanes to the Middle East as the government works to evacuate citizens caught up in the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the decision on Friday after speaking with her US counterpart Marco Rubio.

She said Mr Rubio had not requested Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel partake in any potential US intervention.

“ADF personnel and aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Beach 2025,” Senator Wong said.

“ … we are doing this as part of preparing contingency plans post the airspace becoming open.

“I also emphasise that we are sending defence assets to help Australians.

“They are not there for combat.”

It came as dozens of Australians fled Israel on government-arranged evacuation buses.

About 40 Australian citizens departed Israel for Jordan – on a second bus organised this week by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) – escaping the carnage that continues to wreak havoc in Israel.

Australians departing David Intercontinental hotel in Tel Aviv on Thursday on buses organised by DFAT. Picture: Jordan Polevoy

Australians were told to meet at the Inter Continental David hotel in Tel Aviv at 11.30am (6.30pm AEST) on Thursday and were given strict instructions that they could only take a small amount of possessions with them.

“Please only bring carry-on size luggage with you,” DFAT said.

But many desperate Australians continue to be furious at the handling of the evacuation process and say the plans to get them home have been poorly handled.

One Australian man, named Justin who did not want to disclose his surname, was on Thursday’s coach out of Israel and said he was annoyed at the process of trying to return to Australia.

“The communication has been very slow and non-existent and those people who have tried to reach out (to DFAT) have got nothing back,” the 42-year-old said.

“It’s stressful but you try to remain calm, even at the very beginning when the whole thing started there was nothing even when you reached out to the embassy, no one answered the phone, there was just silence”.

Some Aussie evacuees have described the process as “slow” and “frustrating”. Picture: Jordan Polevoy

There are about 1200 Australians in Israel and 1500 in Iran who have registered with DFAT for assistance.

Passengers on the evacuation buses are being taken to Amman in Jordan and DFAT told Australians they are “working through arrangements for onward travel from Amman to a regional hub”.

Australia’s ambassador in Israel, Dr Ralph King, greeted the desperate Australians as they boarded the coach on Thursday to finally make the journey back home to be reunited with their families and friends.

Benny Moss, 65, from Melbourne, was among those to leave Israel on Thursday with his wife who he said “is quite stressed” but he said the evacuation process should have been handled better.

“I’m a little bit surprised that the Australian Embassy wasn’t better organised,” he said.

Benny Moss, 65, from Melbourne had his holiday plans disrupted in Israel. Picture Jordan Polevoy

“We’re here because we got caught in this situation with the war and my wife is quite stressed and uncomfortable.

“We’ve made the decision rather than to stay and wait it out that we will take up the option and get out now.

“It’s a relief for us but we’re sad for the people that are still staying behind”.

Jess Bricker, 28, from Perth has lived in Tel Aviv for the past six years and she said the past week has been “scary” with the latest attacks from Iran.

“I don’t have anywhere safe in my apartment, I’ve been sleeping on friend’s couches and running into shelters,” she said.

“I’m not injured, I fell off my bike so I can’t really run to shelters and that’s really scary”.

Jess Bricker, 28, has lived in Tel Aviv for the past six years. Picture Jordan Polevoy

Earlier in the week News Corp revealed that desperate Australians trying to flee Israel were given just 55 minutes notice by the Australian government that an evacuation bus service would be leaving Tel Aviv and labelled the process “absolutely shambolic”.

One irate Australian man, who did not wish to be named, said it was a “ridiculous” ask by the government to get people to be organised and on a bus departing within less than an hour.

“I’m not taking the piss, we got an email at 10.35am for an 11.30am departure,” the annoyed 25-year-old Melbourne man said.

There was also another email from DFAT that bungled the handling of personal information from stranded Australians registering their interest to leave Israel.

It instead directed users to a web page where they could sign up for language interpretation services.

Originally published as ADF being deployed to Middle East; Trapped Aussies furious over evacuation