Canberra: An Iranian projectile has struck near Australia’s military headquarters in the Middle East, narrowly missing its main base at Al Minhad in the United Arab Emirates but still igniting a blaze that damaged Australian accommodation and medical facilities, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday.
Albanese told reporters the “Iranian projectile” hit a road leading to Al Minhad Air Base, south of Dubai, at about 9:15 a.m. AEDT, setting off a small fire in the Australian sector of the facility. “I can confirm that no Australian personnel were injured, and everyone is absolutely safe at this point in time,” he said. “There was minor damage to an accommodation block and a medical facility due to a small fire that was created as a result of that projectile hitting a road leading up to that base.”
Defence officials said it was not yet clear whether the strike involved a missile or a drone, but confirmed that force protection measures were being reviewed as tensions remain high across the Gulf. The incident marks at least the second time Al Minhad has been targeted during the current conflict, after an earlier Iranian drone attack near the base in its opening days.
Though owned by the United Arab Emirates, Al Minhad has served as a vital Australian Defence Force logistics, surveillance and transit hub since 2003, and is currently home to more than 100 Australian troops.
According to ABC News, the base also hosts British forces and a small contingent of United States military personnel. It has supported Australian operations across Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, including humanitarian airdrops for civilians displaced by the Islamic State group.
Australia maintains a modest but strategically important footprint at Al Minhad, with assets focused on logistics, surveillance and air mobility, including transport aircraft. A Boeing E‑7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft deployed to the region last week was not at the base when the projectile struck, ABC reported.
Despite the latest attack, Albanese said operations were continuing and reiterated that the government’s “overriding priority” was the safety of Australian personnel deployed in the Middle East.
