Australia Expresses Gratitude To Azerbaijan For Support To Its Citizens

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 20.​ Australia has expressed its gratitude to Azerbaijan for the support provided to Australian citizens, a source at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend .

Reportedly, during a recent phone conversation, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong informed her Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, of Canberra's plans to evacuate its citizens from Iran and extended her appreciation for Azerbaijan's assistance in this regard.

Earlier, Wong noted that the Australian government has announced a decision to evacuate all Australian officials and their families from Iran and suspend embassy operations in Tehran indefinitely due to the deteriorating security situation.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is deploying consular officers to Azerbaijan to support Australians leaving Iran. We strongly encourage Australians who can safely leave Iran to do so now. For those who cannot or do not want to leave, we advise them to take precautions," the minister stressed.

Israel launched airstrikes on Iran in the early hours of June 13, killing a significant number of military personnel. Among the dead were Iran's Chief of the General Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters Commander Gholamali Rashid, and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Nine nuclear scientists and several high-ranking officials were also reported killed.

That same evening, Iran responded with a large-scale attack, firing more than 150 ballistic missiles and over 100 drones at Tel Aviv and other locations. The strikes caused civilian casualties and extensive damage.

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