Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Australians to leave Lebanon as the Israel-Gaza conflict threatens to spread.
A Senate committee this week heard only 400 of 15,000 Australians believed to be in Lebanon have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade since advice was upgraded to "do not travel".
There are fears of a repeat of the dire situation in 2006 when more than 5000 Australians had to be evacuated when Israel went to war with Hezbollah.
Senator Wong posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday the government had "serious concerns over the volatile security situation in Lebanon and the risk of the situation deteriorating further".
"Do not travel to Lebanon and if you're an Australian in Lebanon, you should consider leaving via the first available option," she said.
DFAT advice says tensions are heightened due to events in Israel and Gaza.
"Daily military action is occurring in southern Lebanon and could escalate quickly."
Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah have already exchanged fire and Israel has targeted Syrian army infrastructure and airports, as governments express concern about a wider conflict developing.
There are more than 7000 foreign nationals in Gaza, including 79 Australians who are unable to leave.
Security officials are concerned about strong reactions within Australia, including extremist violence, if Israel launches a Gaza ground invasion.
There are also concerns about the reaction within countries in Southeast Asia.
Israel said on Friday military raids into Gaza were preparing "the next stage of the operation".
Oxfam policy lead Bushra Khalidi outlined how dire things are getting in Gaza, adding her own family members had returned to the city after earlier leaving despite the pending threat of a ground invasion.
"They were having to live in overcrowded homes, no bathrooms, no showers … I've got six nephews and it was no longer feasible for their mothers to accept that kind of situation for them," she told ABC TV.
"Genuinely speaking, my sister-in-law said 'we would rather die in dignity, we don't want to die here in a stranger's home'."
The Australian government has called for a humanitarian pause to allow assistance to flow into Gaza, having already pledged $25 million in aid since October 7.
with Reuters
