Flights are being cancelled and airlines are suspending the capital, Beirut, as a destination amid growing expectation the Australian Defence Force will have to step in.

Diana Abousattout’s travel agency has been inundated by panicked calls from Australian clients in Lebanon.

“Things are happening around their areas, outside their villages, where they can’t leave to go anywhere, so they’re trying to really get out,” she told 9News.

One of the lucky ones, 17-year-old Christian Aoukar, landed in Adelaide yesterday to hugs but his mum is still in Beirut.

“She’s in a pretty safe area but I am scared she is stuck there and can’t come back,” he said.

Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, designed to eliminate the leadership of militant group Hezbollah, and Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes, have left the region teetering on the brink of all-out war.

Australian mother Joya Douaihy said the anxiety was “through the roof”.

“We haven’t slept a wink in days. We keep hearing the fighter jets above us all night,” she said, from Lebanon.

Many airlines have cancelled flights in and out of Beirut, limiting escape options.

“The Australian government should, I think, help,” travel agent Abousattout said. 

“They should do something, and do it a lot quicker.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the it was a “dangerous region at the moment”.

“We know that that is the case, but it hasn’t just arisen in past days, and we have been calling for many, many months for people to take the opportunity to leave through commercial means when they could,” he said yesterday.

“We again reiterate that people should take any opportunity that they can to leave. 

“But the Australian government, of course, will always do our best to look after Australian citizens.”

There are about 15,000 Australians in Lebanon, about 100 of whom have secured flights in recent days to Doha and Dubai.

Two RAAF C-130 transport planes are in the region, ready to assist.

When Australia last evacuated people from Lebanon, during the month-long war with Israel in 2006, airlifts became impossible, leaving evacuees to flee by boat.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton continued to bang the national security drum regarding refugees from the conflict coming to Australia.

“We need to make sure that people who are coming out of a very difficult part of the world, haven’t been involved in activities that could be a threat to our national security,” he said.

While the government’s keen for Australians to take any available flight out of Beirut, the reality is many will be stuck.

Some kind of coordinated evacuation appears inevitable. 

“We’re working to ensure Australians who want to leave Lebanon can continue to, including with partners such as Canada and the UK,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X yesterday.

“A number of Australians were assisted onto commercial flights on Monday and overnight. 

“We have secured additional seats for flights on Thursday.”