Australia has issued a “reconsider need to travel” alert for Israel after Iran launched a massive missile attack on the eve of the nation’s Jewish New Year celebrations.
Media reports have suggested around 200 missiles were fired into Israel by Iran on Oct. 1.
The alert comes as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
“Australia condemns Iran’s missile attack on Israel,” he said.
“This is an extremely dangerous escalation—Australia and the global community have been clear in our calls for de-escalation.
“Further hostilities put civilians at risk.”
Albanese encouraged Australians in Israel to follow the advice of local authorities and to reconsider their need to remain in Israel.
The Australian government has warned of missile threats, including from the terror group Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israel’s north.
Many Israelis have been forced to shelter inside rocket shelters and safe rooms.
So far, Israel’s mid-air missile defence system, the Iron Dome, has prevented civilian casualties despite some rockets landing.
Oct. 2 marks the beginning of the Jewish high holidays, including New Year’s Rosh Hashana celebrations and Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar that falls on Oct. 12.
The attacks come less than a week before the first anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel when terrorists invaded and killed more than 1,000 people and kidnapped many others. More than 100 hostages are still held in Gaza.
Jillian Segal, the special envoy on combatting antisemitism, told ABC Radio National that the situation was “truly shocking” for the Jewish community. It comes in response to rallies in Australia where pro-Hezbollah demonstrators chanted phrases against Jews and brandished Hezbollah flags.
“I think that was truly shocking for the Jewish community and should be shocking for the general community because we must challenge terrorism,” she said.
The situation in the Middle East has been increasingly volatile in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7.
As Israel has continued its war on Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran have vowed massive attacks on the Jewish state.
In April, Israeli forces assassinated top Iranian general Mohammad Reza Zahedi when a warplane fired missiles into the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.
During September, several pagers used for communications by Hezbollah were detonated, wiping out some senior Hezbollah members. Hezbollah and Iran blamed Israel for the attack while Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his government had “no connection” to it.
Australian Workplace Minister Murray Watt spoke about the Iranian rocket strikes, calling for “immediate de-escalation.”
“It’s not in anyone’s interest, whether it be Israel or its neighbouring countries, for this conflict to go on, to continue to see civilian deaths on both sides of the border,” he said.
