The prime minister has urged Australians in Lebanon to leave by any means they can and for travellers to avoid the country, as Israel weighs up expanding a war that has raged for nearly ten months.
"The travel advice very clearly is 'don't go to Lebanon'," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Tuesday, after the government issued an updated warning in step with other countries.
"Australian citizens should ensure that they take advantage of the commercial flights that are available out of Lebanon at this time. This is a troubling area."
The conflict in Gaza that started in October is threatening to spill into neighbouring nations after a rocket killed 12 teenagers and children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israel has blamed Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah for the strike and vowed to retaliate, but the designated terrorist organisation has denied being behind the explosion.
The warnings came as independent senator David Pocock called on newly-appointed Immigration Minister Tony Burke to grant humanitarian visas for Palestinians fleeing Gaza as the crisis worsens.
"So far, none have been offered to people fleeing Gaza," Senator Pocock told AAP.
By contrast, thousands of humanitarian visas were offered to people fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban took back control in 2021.
There was also no cap on Ukrainians being offered humanitarian visas if they could get to Australia, he said.
"People feel like the government is treating Palestinian lives as though they are worth less than Ukrainian or Afghan lives, and that puts a huge strain on social cohesion," Senator Pocock said.
Palestinians have been granted other temporary visas but no humanitarian allocation has been made.
When asked about plans to address this, Mr Burke's office pointed to an interview on Tuesday where the minister said people went through appropriate security checks to be granted a visa.
Muslim Votes Matters national spokesperson Ghaith Krayem said a spotlight remained on the minister due to "the government’s appalling response to the killing and maiming of around 130,000 Palestinians over the past 10 months".
"The Australian government has fundamentally failed the people of Palestine in its approach to this crisis," he told AAP.
“This spotlight will remain unless there is significant change in the government’s stance and actions towards Palestine."
The government on Monday updated its travel advice on Lebanon due to the "risk of the security situation deteriorating further."
"Some airlines have postponed or cancelled some flights. Further flight cancellations and disruptions could occur with little or no notice," the advice says, noting that Beirut airport could close at any time.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said it would not be easy for the Australian government to get people out if they became trapped.
"If you stay, you potentially are then asking other Australians to put their lives in harm's way to rescue you - that is reckless and irresponsible," he told Sky News.
