PM says plans in place to evacuate Australians in Lebanon as Israel flags ground incursion

Anthony Albanese says the federal government is making plans for Australians facing a full-scale war in Lebanon after Israel’s defence chief signalled a ground incursion.

The Prime Minister said on Thursday that plans were in place for evacuations but warned they would be “difficult”.

“We’ve been planning for some time but we’ve also been saying to our citizens who are there in Lebanon, some of whom have recently travelled to Lebanon, that they should return home by commercial aircraft while that is available,” he told the ABC.

“It is extraordinary that, in as recently as the past couple of months, people have continued to travel there against government advice.

“It will be difficult to get everyone out quickly, if that is required, which is why people should continue to leave, if they can, by all means.”

Mr Albanese added that “given the large numbers that we’re talking about, this situation will be difficult to resolve”.

Israel has been pounding southern Lebanon with air strikes targeting Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in a massive escalation.

The group, a designated terrorist organisation, began firing rockets at civilians areas in northern Israel last year in solidarity with Hamas, forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

But Hezbollah extended the reach of its cross-border attacks overnight, with the Israeli business capital Tel Aviv coming under fire.

In videos released by the Israeli military, defence chief Herzi Halevi told troops in Israel’s north that their “boots will enter enemy territory”.

“You can hear the planes above, we are striking all day. Both to prepare the area for the possibility of your entry (into Lebanon), and also to continue causing blows to Hezbollah,” he said.

“The goal is a very clear goal, to return the (displaced) residents of the north safely.

“To do this, we are preparing the (ground) manoeuvre.”

More than 600 people have been killed and nearly 2000 injured in Lebanon since Israel’s air strikes began on Monday, according health officials.

Some 90,000 more have been displaced.

Mr Albanese called for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza, where Israeli forces are battling Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.

“We need the conflict not to continue to escalate, we need it to de-escalate,” he said.

“We need the hostages released. We need a ceasefire that’s sustainable there and we need to move towards a long-term solution as well as a two-state solution there in the Middle East.”

He also said Hamas “can’t have a role in the future of Gaza”.

The Palestinian Government Media Office described the delivery of 88 bodies from Israel to Gaza as “an inhumane and criminal step” on Wednesday, September 25, saying that no details to be used for the identification of the bodies had been provided. The Government Media Office said that Israeli authorities refused to disclose “their age, gender, or the areas where they were killed and kidnapped.” The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that they stopped the identification procedures and couldn’t continue until information about the bodies was provided. “We also emphasise the necessity to receive the bodies according to humanitarian and international standards and by preserving the rights and the dignity of the owners of these bodies,” they wrote on Facebook, according to machine translation. Footage published by Palestinian outlet Quds Feed shows a truck, described by Quds as the one transporting the bodies, arriving at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. Credit: Quds Feed via Storyful

Mr Albanese’s comments echoed Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who on Wednesday said “this destructive cycle must stop” and “all parties must show restraint and de-escalate”.

“Civilians are being killed by Israeli strikes and it is women and children who are paying the highest price,” she said.

“What has happened in recent days only makes an immediate ceasefire in Gaza even more urgent.

“Lebanon cannot become the next Gaza, and the violence in Gaza must end. Hostages must be released and aid must flow.”

Israel launched its military action in Gaza after Hamas killed 1200 people, including entire families, in its brutal October 7 terrorist attacks.

The group,which is also backed by Iran, took hundreds more hostage as they retreated into Gaza.

The ensuing Israeli action in the densely populated Palestinian territory has killed upwards of 40,000.