More than 200 also wounded on Tuesday morning as they waited for UN and commercial trucks to enter territory with aid supplies

While Australia rightly urges de-escalation, it also fails to condemn Israel’s attack on Iran For all Australia’s breezy talk of a “rules-based international order”, it doesn’t take much for our politicians to question that order to shield Israel. The Australian foreign affairs minister Penny Wong on Sunday extraordinarily referred to Israel’s “right to self-defence” after it pre-emptively attacked Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Australia’s defence minister affirmed that statement to the ABC on Monday. Opposition leader Sussan Ley made the same call over the weekend. While Marles and Wong rightly urged de-escalation, and Ley urged caution, they also failed to condemn Israel’s attack on Iran, along with a few other outliers like France and Germany. Ben Saul is Challis chair of international law at the University of Sydney Continue reading...