Iran war news: Stranded Aussies arrive home on first Dubai evacuation flight
Australians stranded for days in Dubai have touched down on the first Sydney flight out of the UAE city since the US and Israel conflict with Iran erupted.
Hugs and tears from anxious family members greeted tired and weary Australian evacuees who managed to get on the first flight out from Dubai.
Landing in Sydney on a humid Wednesday night, an emotional Iman Krayem was surrounded by her son Youssef and husband Nazih.
She was stuck in the United Arab Emirates for several nights, on her way to see her sick father in Lebanon, when Iranian missiles struck the gilded city in response to a barrage of US and Israeli attacks.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I was crying non-stop,” she told AAP minutes after clearing customs.
“It was so stressful, I didn’t have my luggage, I had no clothes but I am happy to be back home now.”
Among the more than 200 passengers who arrived were a group of high school students travelling to Istanbul for a robotics competition.
They were accompanied by several teachers from Baker College including Daiane Becker, who was carrying her one-year old daughter Clara clutching a green bunny.
“It was really hard not knowing what’s going to happen ... and if things would calm down,” she said.
For charity worker Hawra Khalil, she was in Lebanon on a humanitarian trip feeding war-torn children in several cities.
Heeding the Australian government’s travel warning, Ms Khalil managed to catch a flight to Dubai where she was grounded with a colleague of hers.
She said being caught in a conflict zone where she felt buildings shook for a few days in the relative comfort of the Gulf monarchy drove home how other citizens in Arab countries have been faring in recent years.
“I just got a glimpse of it in Dubai and I had seen what people in Lebanon go through on a daily basis ten-fold,” she told AAP.
“It is scary, you feel threatened but I have it so much easier because what I witnessed is innocent families and innocent children starving and in poverty.”
Iran has fired hundreds of drones in recent days across several countries including Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia targeting American diplomatic and military sites in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.
Mining executive Troy Barker landed in Dubai only for a day and was at a popular horse race on Saturday, where the Emirati ruler was also in attendance, when he saw drones and missiles across the city’s skyline.
“I saw a couple of missiles but I’ve worked in Africa for 20 years so I’ve seen many things,” he said.
He praised communications from Emirates airlines and the authorities on the ground, saying he was lucky to be home.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong earlier said she was pleased the first plane carrying Australians from Dubai to Sydney was on its way, as more than 115,000 Australians remain stranded in the region.
She revealed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lobbied Emirati president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to ensure their safe exit.
“We know this is a very difficult time. We are conscious of how distressed many people are,” she told reporters in Canberra.
