Penny Wong
AFP

Australia is undertaking a mass airlift to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon, as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced, urging Australian expats to leave as soon as possible.

The Australian government has arranged 580 seats on Thursday and Saturday flights for citizens, permanent residents, and their families who wanted to leave Lebanon, Reuters reported. In addition to this, flights were also organized for early departures.

Australia has joined several countries in frantic efforts to evacuate their citizens as the war situation worsens. Wong said, citing government records, that 1,700 odd Australians have shown their interest in leaving Lebanon.

"Please take whatever option is available to you. Now is not the time for you to wait and see, now is the time to leave," Wong said.

Wong announced that two flights, scheduled to depart for Cyprus on Saturday, will evacuate Australians, but stressed that the operation relies on Beirut airport remaining operational.

Wong said the contingency plans involve military flights on standby but commercial flights are a priority at this point. "We have been working this week to secure seats on flights. Some seats were secured on Monday and Tuesday, and I can confirm that we have secured 80 seats on flights that are leaving today," she told reporters on Thursday, per SBS.

Israel launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon on Oct. 1 targeting the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant outfit. At least eight Israeli soldiers have died in the conflict to date. Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on Israeli provinces of Haifa and Avivim, sparking international concern.

In its largest-ever military attack on Israel, Iran fired 180 ballistic missiles, including hypersonic Fattah missiles, on Tuesday, causing panic with sirens blowing across Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley. The Iranian airstrikes in central and southern Israel, caused significant damage, including to a school in Gadera.