Senior Labor and Liberal MPs have united in their condemnation of Iran after the country launched a wave of missiles and armed drones towards Israel on early Sunday, a confrontation that threatens to push the Middle East to the brink of a regional war.
Despite the escalation, the Albanese government on Sunday provided no indication it would send additional troops to the region, as the United States military shot down an “undisclosed” number of Iranian drones headed for Israel.
The Iranian attacks, the first on Israeli soil in a decades long shadow war between the two nations, are in retaliation to suspected Israeli strikes on Iran’s diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital Damascus, killing seven people including two senior Iranian military officials.
Speaking on Sunday morning, Labor’s Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy urged Iran to “take a step back” following its retaliatory strike.
“Iran has an opportunity to reverse their course of being a malign actor in the region, and we will be applying all diplomatic pressure to that end,” Mr Conroy told Sky News’ Sunday Agenda.
But even as tensions were at their highest level since the Israel-Hamas war broke out six months ago, Mr Conroy indicated the government would not be providing any further military assistance beyond the ADF’s current support to US forces to help deter attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.
“We’ve been focused on supporting the efforts of allies and like-minded partners to prevent escalation of the conflict … That’s our level of involvement at the moment.”
In a later interview, Treasurer Jim Chalmers warned the Iranian strikes risked inflaming the conflict and called on Tehran to instead use its power to help bring stability to the region.
“We’ve seen enough bloodshed in the Middle East already. We don’t want conflict in the Middle East to be broader and deeper than it already is,” Dr Chalmers’ told the ABC’s Insiders program.
“We’ve already seen enough lives lost, and that’s why these developments are so incredibly concerning to us.”
The Treasurer added that “it would be much better if the Iranians used their influence in the region to try and calm tensions rather than inflame them”.
“Iran can have a positive role to play in the region or a negative role to play in the region. This will inflame tensions further.”
Shadow immigration spokesman Dan Tehan called for the government to offer Israel “all the support we can”, when Iran had “no ability” to bring stability to the Middle East.
“Their sovereignty once again is at risk, and we need to be doing what we can to support them,” Mr Tehan said.
“We have to stand with Israel with our key allies at this time that they’re under serious, serious attack.
“I hope that the government and in particular, the Prime Minister will show leadership at this time and come out and defend Israel’s sovereignty.”
Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser called on the government to close Australia’s Iranian embassy.
“Australia has nothing in common with Iran, we must cut ties with this despotic regime,” Mr Leeser said.
Tensions have flared across the region as Israel’s attacks on Hamas operatives inside Gaza stretches into its seventh months, killing tens of thousands, according to the local authorities.
Israel’s campaign follows a bloody incursion conducted by Hamas in Israel that killed some 1200 people in early October last year.