Foreign Minister Penny Wong warns Australians in Lebanon to leave immediately (2024)

The federal government is ramping up warnings to Australians in Lebanon, pleading with them to leave the country right now as the risk of a regional conflagration grows.

On Wednesday night Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a video message urging people in Lebanon to get out following the killing of a top Hezbollah commander in the country and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.

"My message to Australian citizens and residents in Lebanon is: now is the time to leave. If you are in Australia and thinking of travelling to Lebanon – do not," the foreign minister said.

"Some commercial flights are still operating. If you can leave, you should."

The government expects Beirut airport will be shut down if a broader conflict breaks out, cutting the main route out of the country.

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If that happens the government may be able to use ferries to get people out of Lebanon by taking them to Cyprus, as it did when it evacuated more than 5,000 Australians during the 2006 Lebanon War.

But officials are emphasising that there is no guarantee that they'll be able to pull off such a major rescue operation, particularly if a large-scale war breaks out.

Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing that it could now be harder to get Australians out than it was in 2006, when the Howard government used flights, buses and ferries to evacuate people.

"Since the 2006 evacuation we've seen that terrible, terrible explosion at the Beirut port which has affected port capacity there," he said.

"We've also seen a deterioration in the security situation of adjoining countries to Lebanon. So the context we're operating in ... [and] the plans we've made … are far more complex today than they were in the past.

"Don't push your luck. Don't wait and see how this turns out. The time to leave is now."

Concern Australians are ignoring advice to leave

The government estimates at least 15,000 Australians remain in the country, but the real figure could be as high as 20,000 or even 30,000.

It's difficult to pinpoint the figure because many Australians in the country live there permanently or visit very regularly, and often don't notify the Australian government.

The foreign minister has also written to key Lebanese Australian community organisations asking them to help the government get the message out.

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The complex make-up of the Lebanese community in Australia – which includes Shia and Sunni Muslims, as well as Maronite Christians – also means the government has to work harder to get the message out to everyone.

An Australian official told the ABC on Wednesday night that many Australians in Lebanon appeared to be disregarding the travel advice, and the government was deliberately ramping up travel warnings and messaging to convince them to leave.

The government has been advising people not to travel to Lebanon ever since the October 7 attacks in Israel last year, but at least some Australians have not followed that advice and have continued to fly into Beirut.

Sydney community leader Samier Dandan said the reasons why Australians were staying in Lebanon are varied.

"My dad is currently over there, he went for a small visit and had a medical episode and he's permanently there at the moment because of his health conditions," he told the ABC.

"The only way possible to bring him back is for one of the family members to travel there because he needs to be looked after while in flight."

Jameel Karaki, a Lebanese-Australian from southern Lebanon, said he was very concerned about his family.

"I'm unable to sleep at night sometimes. When I call my family sometimes I wonder if I'll be able to call them again, if they are gonna pick up the phone or answer me."

He said some people had elderly parents in Lebanon, and were either travelling to be with them, or did not want to return to Australia without them.

"No-one would like to live in a warzone," he said.

"You would weigh your risks and even if it means sometimes risking your life, you take this decision and book your ticket."

'Listen to the warnings'

Australian Lebanese Association president Raymond Najar urged Australians in the region to return home as soon as possible.

"Of course, the big issue is going to be the fact that are they going to be able to get a flight to go home? Are their booked flights still in order?

"I would be concerned for a lot of my friends that are over there that they wouldn't be able to leave when they have planned to leave. The alternatives they have are limited."

Mr Najar also called on the Australian government to urge Israel not to target Beirut airport if the conflict escalates.

"I have already appealed to one of the ministers about the fact that the Australian government needs to take a message across through its ally in America that the Beirut airport is a no-go zone, and make sure that the airport can stay functional."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also been urging Australians to leave Lebanon, and warning people not to travel to the country.

"There is a risk that the Beirut airport might not be open for commercial flights and given the numbers of people that are there, there is no guarantee that we can just guarantee that people will be able to come home through other means if that airport is shut," he said in Sydney on Thursday.

"We say to people, listen to the warnings which are there and please, over recent months we have seen people continue to go and travel to the region and we have made very clear our warnings about that."