Australia has expelled the Iranian ambassador after it says it was informed the country was behind two major antisemitic attacks in Melbourne and Sydney. Iran denies the allegations, accusing Australia of trying to 'appease Israel'.

Canberra

Australia has declared the Iranian ambassador persona non grata and ordered his departure after intelligence agencies traced links between Iran and recent anti-Semitic attacks targeting a Sydney Jewish business and a Melbourne synagogue. The government conducted a covert operation to evacuate Australian diplomats from Tehran before making the expulsion public, citing heightened safety concerns for Australians still in Iran as Tehran threatens retaliation.

Iran has rejected the accusations, claiming Australia is acting to appease Israel, while Israel has welcomed the move. The opposition has criticized the government for acting too slowly, with bipartisanship on the issue appearing to wane. The Prime Minister stated that the decision was based on intelligence advice and not political motives.

Iranian ambassador given 48 hours to leave Australia

Declared persona non grata, unwelcome person, the Iranian ambassador swiftly gets into the back of a waiting car, driven out of the embassy, past the waiting media, but not to the airport. Ahmad Zadeghi returning soon after, the clock ticking on his deadline to leave the country. The actions in expelling a diplomat isn't something that you do for political purposes. We did that because Iran crossed a line. We're hoping they could make this decision, you know, last year, two years ago. The Prime Minister today revealing more details on how Australian intelligence traced the link between Iran and anti-Semitic attacks on a Sydney Jewish business and Melbourne synagogue. These elements use the dark web, they use encrypted messages, they use cryptocurrency. They've been responsible for a range of activities globally and that ranges from financing activity all the way through to operational terrorist attacks. Before going public, a covert operation to safely evacuate Australian diplomats from Tehran on Monday night. The PM referencing the Ben Affleck movie Argo. We got them out of airspace by just after midnight. But there are heightened safety concerns for thousands of Australians still there, as Iran threatens retaliation. We do not have any Australian personnel left in Iran to provide assistance. Iran rejects accusations it's behind the firebombings, claiming Canberra is trying to appease Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel claiming credit. It's welcome that after the Prime Minister Netanyahu's timely intervention that these actions have been taken. The opposition's gone on the attack, accusing the Prime Minister of being too slow to take action. The bipartisanship that had been quickly offered on this issue, just as quickly, starting to fade. We got the advice on Monday morning and acted as soon as possible. The government took two and a half years to act. It took ASIO to drag the government kicking and screaming to act. Chloe Boris, 10 News.

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