Australia evacuates diplomats' families from Israel as regional tensions rise

JERUSALEM, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government announced on Wednesday that it has ordered the departure of all family members of its officials stationed in Israel, citing a deteriorating security situation in the Middle East.

The advisory, issued by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, warned of armed conflict, civil unrest, and terrorism risks, urging Australians to reconsider travel to Israel and encouraging those already there to leave while commercial options remain available, citing potential flight cancellations and airspace closures.

The move follows a similar decision by the United States, which evacuated non-essential personnel from its embassy in Lebanon earlier this week. Lebanese media reported dozens of U.S. embassy staff departed Beirut on Monday.

The evacuations come as Tehran and Washington are set to hold their third round of indirect nuclear talks in Switzerland on Thursday, in an effort to de-escalate a simmering military standoff in the region between the two countries.■