Australians warned against Middle East transit amid conflict

Australians thinking of travelling have been warned to not transit through the Middle East as the conflict continues to intensify.

For flights across Europe, the international hub of Doha in Qatar is a popular stopover for travellers.

The Australian government-run website Smartraveller has advised Australians to avoid the Middle East in its latest update.

“Do not travel advice applies to transit and layover,” the statement read.

“Even if you don’t plan to leave the airport, if you travel to or transit through Qatar, you may be unable to leave. Your safety will be at risk.”

The majority of Middle Eastern countries – excluding Saudi Arabia and Oman – have a “do not travel” warning.

The two countries have a level 3 warning for travellers advising them to “reconsider your need to travel”.

The cautionary advice follows the Israel Defence Forces on Sunday saying it’s “identifying new targets everyday”.

Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin notes that Israel is planning for at least another three weeks of attacks with, “deeper plans for even three weeks beyond that”.

This surpasses US President Donald Trump’s one-week timeline of conflict.

Since March 4 when some flights resumed, more than 5000 Australians have flown out of the conflict region.

More direct flights are expected to arrive in Australia on Monday from Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi.