Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that an Iranian projectile struck near the Australian headquarters at Al Minhad airbase in the United Arab Emirates, damaging an accommodation block and a medical facility. No Australian personnel were injured in the attack, which occurred at 9.15am AEDT on Wednesday.
Albanese could not confirm if Iran directly targeted the base but stated that Australia is not at war. The strike comes after Australia sent a surveillance aircraft and air-to-air missiles to the UAE to protect Australians in the Gulf state, which has been targeted by Tehran in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Approximately 50 core Australian Defence Force staff and 70-80 Australians are stationed at Al Minhad. The same base was previously hit by a drone strike earlier in the conflict. Albanese noted the projectile hit a road adjacent to the base, sparking a fire that damaged facilities.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed on social media that the US never needed help from allies, including Australia, in the Iran conflict. Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie called Trump's remarks 'petulant' and 'not how you treat allies,' while Albanese declined to comment on the exchange.
