Australian defense personnel in the United Arab Emirates are safe after an Iranian projectile hit an area close to the Al Minhad Air Base, causing minor damage to Australian facilities.
In what is the clearest evidence yet that the escalating Middle East conflict is spilling over onto Australian military operations in the Middle East.
According to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the projectile hit the road leading to the base on Wednesday, causing a small fire that damaged an accommodation block and a medical facility.
The incident was reported at about 9:15 am AEDT, although officials have not confirmed whether the projectile was a missile or a drone, the message was swift and unequivocal.
No Australians were harmed in the incident, with Albanese stating that all personnel were safe, while the Defense Department stated that the safety of deployed personnel was their first priority as the situation in the Middle East continued to deteriorate.
An important Australian hub in the Middle East is Al Minhad. The facility, which has long been utilized for logistics, surveillance, training and personnel movement in and out of the area, is home to more than 100 Australian military personnel.
Although its presence was diminished following its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Australia has been operating out of the base since 2003.
This, however, does not mark the first instance of such a threat to the base since the commencement of the ongoing conflict.
News reported that Al Minhad had previously been hit once during the early stages of the conflict when an Iranian drone strike failed to cause any damage to the Australian base.
This comes just over a week after the country announced plans to deploy an E 7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and air to air missiles to the UAE as part of a defensive mission to safeguard Gulf airspace.
The news agency reported that the Wedgetail had not been at the base when the projectile struck the ground.
It has been indicated by Defence that force protection of the base could be reviewed as the region becomes increasingly insecure.
