Iran Attacks UAE Air Base Used by Australia

Iran has attacked an air base in the United Arab Emirates used by Australia with drones.

According to Defense Minister Richard Marles, Australian personnel are safe, ABC News reports.

An Iranian drone struck Al Minhad Air Base on the first night of the conflict. Despite the attack, no Australian service members were injured.

Australia at Al Minhad Air Base

Al Minhad is a military airfield belonging to the UAE Air Force. For Australia, this facility has served for decades as a key support point for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing aircraft refueling and cargo transshipment.

The air base is located approximately 40 km from Dubai. It is a key logistics and operational hub for foreign military contingents in the Persian Gulf region.

Currently, there are about 100 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel deployed in the Middle East. Although not all of them are based directly in Al Minhad, most of the personnel are concentrated in the UAE.

The Australian military has been using the base as headquarters for its operations since 2003. Following the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, a limited number of personnel are maintained there to ensure a regional presence.

This is not the first time that Australian troops have been targeted in the Middle East.

In 2019, three rockets hit an Iraqi base where more than 300 ADF personnel were stationed, training local forces alongside New Zealand.

Richard Marles confirmed the Australian government’s support for the US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

He stressed that the main goal of these actions is to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, which could be disastrous for the world.