Key Points
- Anthony Albanese says the United States' attacks on Iran-backed groups are "proportionate" and "retaliatory".
- Australia supported the US in its latest strikes on the Houthis in Yemen.
- The US also had support from the UK, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia backs the United States' latest attacks on Iran-linked targets in the Middle East, describing them as "proportionate" and "retaliatory".
The US and UK launched strikes against 36 targets in Yemen on Saturday (local time), on the second day of major US operations against Iran-backed groups following .
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes also had support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
"We support the actions of the United States. These are proportionate, retaliatory for the actions of Iran-backed organisations," Albanese told ABC's Insiders program.
"It's important that, given the attacks that have occurred by groups backed by Iran, there be a response. There has been."
Greens leader Adam Bandt turned up the heat on the prime minister on Sunday when speaking at a pro-Palestinian rally in Melbourne.
When federal parliament returns on Tuesday, the Greens will move motion to reverse parliament's support of Israel's invasion of Gaza amid the rising death toll.
"A government subject to orders from the International Court of Justice to stop genocide also should be subject to pressure and sanctions from the Australian government," Bandt told the crowd in Melbourne.
Saturday's strikes hit buried Houthi weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers and other capabilities that the Houthis have used to attack Red Sea shipping, and targeted 13 locations across the country, the Pentagon said.
"This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
"We will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways."
Asked if the US' actions could spark a wider regional conflict, Albanese said he didn't believe it would.
"I think that the United States has played a responsible role in the region," he said.
"You can't have the sort of attacks that we've seen and see no response — that's whether it be the actions of the Houthis in targeting our trade, whether it be the attacks that occurred on Americans in Jordan.
"We want to see the area settled down. We're working with our allies to play a role there."
The US on Friday carried out strikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to (IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people.
But while the US accuses Iran-backed militias of attacking US troops at bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting commercial ships and warships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, say their attacks are in solidarity with .
The US has previously carried out more than 10 strikes against Houthi targets in the past several weeks, but they have failed to stop attacks by the group.
Demilitarisation a key to Palestinian statehood, Albanese says
Albanese has suggested demilitarisation is a sticking point to a two-state solution and could hinge on Gaza destroying its weapons.
A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has long been floated as a path to peace in the region, is back in the spotlight following the 7 October attack by Hamas and Israel's subsequent war on Gaza.
In a visit to Lebanon last week, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron flagged his country could not recognise a Palestinian state while Hamas remained in Gaza.
But the top diplomat reiterated the UK's support for a two-state solution and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "to start talking about the things a Palestinian state can be rather than the things it can't be".
Albanese acknowledged an agreement on a two-state solution was only possible if Israel returned to the negotiating table.
"We need to de-escalate," he told ABC TV on Sunday.
"Part of that (two-state solution) might mean, for example, any existence of a Palestinian state would be one which was a demilitarised state as well. Those are the sort of issues that need to be on the table.
"The United States, I know, is looking at these issues, as is the United Kingdom. Australia and certainly my government has a position of support for two states."
A pro-Palestinian rally was also held in Sydney on Sunday afternoon.
People participate in a pro-Palestinian protest in Sydney on Sunday. Source: AAP / Steven Saphore
"We call on the Israeli government, governments of the world, and all people who respect life and peace, to support the safe and immediate return of the hostages," event organiser spokesperson Nirit Eylon said in a statement.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed and up to 240 taken hostage in the 7 October attack on southern Israel by Hamas.
Israel's subsequent bombardment, blockade and ground invasion has left more than 27,000 Palestinians dead and another 66,000 wounded, according to the latest figures from Gaza's health ministry.
Members of Melbourne's Jewish community rallied on Sunday in support of the families of hostages. Source: AAP / Dale Williams/PR IMAGE
Hamas’s stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state and stop the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, illegal under international law.
Hamas in its entirety is listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and seven other countries, including Australia. But the UN Assembly rejected classifying Hamas as a terrorist group in a 2018 vote.
In 2021 the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories dating back to 2014, including the recent attacks of both Israel and Hamas.
