Peter Dutton demands full security checks for evacuated Aussies leaving Lebanon
Peter Dutton has demanded full security checks for any Australians evacuated from Lebanon, as the situation in the Middle East escalates and the fallout from “worrying” weekend protests continues.
Overnight, Israel began its “limited, localised” ground invasion of Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah strongholds. There are heightened concerns about the estimated 15,000 Australians who are believed to still be in the country despite being urged to leave for months.
Describing the escalating situation as “gravely concerning”, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the Government continued to “urge restraint and de-escalation” but urged Australians still in Lebanon to leave now.
While the Beirut airport remains open, there is an increasing risk commercial flights could cease at any point.
The Government has an evacuation plan ready for when that happens, but the Opposition Leader — who sought a briefing on the potential plans and third country staging locations — is seeking further assurances.
“They’ve given us those assurances that the (evacuation) plans (exist) because we need to make sure that we’re providing support, obviously to Australian citizens, but we also need to make sure that people who we’re bringing out at the 11th hour in difficult circumstances where bombs are dropping, that we’re not compromising on security checks of people that we’re bringing back to Australia as well,” he told Channel 9.
“We need to get it right.”
Mr Dutton has previously criticised the Government for allowing Palestinians, who fled the war zone while able to, to come to Australia without what he believes to be robust enough security checks.
It follows pro-Hezbollah protesters waving the flag and glorifying slain leader Hassan Nasrallah on the weekend, which both sides of politics have condemned and the Australian Federal Police is investigating.
Mr Chalmers said the Government does “not mourn the death of a terrorist leader responsible for all that destruction in the Middle East”.
“We do mourn the loss of so many innocent lives in the Middle East,” he said.
“Too many lives have already been lost to this conflict, an escalation of this conflict risks even more innocent lives, too many families, too many children have already been lost to the conflict in the Middle East.”
He said delays in agreeing to the comprehensive ceasefire deal, brokered by the United States, Qatar and Egypt and endorsed by the UN Security Council would cost lives.
“Lebanon cannot become the next Gaza,” he said.
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