Iran’s retaliatory strikes hit an airbase where Australian personnel are stationed in the United Arab Emirates on the first night of the conflict, it has been revealed.

Iran has been firing back at nations across the Middle East after the US and Israel launched bombardments on the weekend.

Among the areas hit by Iran were the Al Minhad air base, near Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which is a logistics hub for the Australian Defence Force.

On Tuesday (AEDT), two drones struck the US embassy in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, with US citizens told to take shelter and avoid the embassy until further notice (more below).

Defence Minister Richard Marles said all Australian troops were safe and none were injured in the UAE strike.

“We have a number of Australians who operate from a headquarters that we’ve had at Al Minhad now for many, many years,” he told Seven’s Sunrise program on Tuesday.

“They are all accounted for, they are all safe. We’ve got north of 100 serving personnel actually across the Middle East in a range of countries, but most are in the UAE and that base is very important for us.”

Marles says all Australian troops are safe after the strike at the Al Minhad air base near Dubai. Photo: ADF

Contingency plans are being considered to bring home tens of thousands of Australian citizens stranded in the Middle East as the US-Israel war on Iran widens.

There are about 115,000 Australians in the region, with most unable to leave due to the closure of air space as a result of the conflict.

Marles described the situation as a “very significant consular challenge”.

“There’s lots of Australians who are experiencing disrupted air travel and so that’s a situation that we are monitoring very closely and preparing for as best we can,” he told ABC TV.

“You have to take this a day at a time … it is very difficult to speculate about how long this will go.”

Australian travellers, such as Lucy Finter, are struggling to find ways out of the war-torn region. She left Sydney for London on Saturday and was “completely oblivious” of the growing war until she landed in Dubai for a stopover.

All flights were suddenly cancelled when she arrived at Dubai International Airport, which erupted into chaos and was damaged after being hit by strikes.

“No one knew what was going on, then we checked the news online and saw missiles had been fired and the airspace had been closed,” Finter said.

She and her British partner filled out repatriation forms from the UK and Australian governments, but had heard nothing further by Monday.

“I’m trying to remain calm, but then I hear another missile,” she said.

Finter said she burst into tears when she read US President Donald Trump’s remarks that the war would take “four weeks or so”.

But that timeframe depended on variables outside of Trump’s control and he had a “tendency to describe things in very optimistic terms”, University of Sydney expert David Smith said.

It was unlikely Trump expected Australia to become involved in the conflict as he wanted “a limited military action”, Smith said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there had been no requests for Australia to become involved.

“It’s a long way from Australia and we are not big players in the Middle East,” he told ABC’s 7.30 program.

He and other senior government ministers have supported the US-Israeli action while deflecting questions over the legality of the strikes.

US embassy hit by drones

The US embassy in ‌Riyadh has been hit by two drones resulting in a limited fire ‌and some material damage.

The drone attack came amid ongoing Iranian missile and drone strikes on Gulf states that host US bases, following US and Israeli ‌strikes on ‌Iran on ⁠Saturday.

The US embassy told its citizens to shelter in place immediately and avoid the embassy until further notice due to an attack on the facility.

It also issued a shelter in place notification for Jeddah and Dhahran and limited non-essential travel to military installations in the region.

A loud blast was heard and flames were seen at the US embassy in Riyadh early on Tuesday, three people familiar with the matter said, with ⁠one person saying the ‌fire was ​minor.

Black smoke was seen rising over Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter, which ​houses foreign missions.

A “limited fire” broke out at the embassy, causing minor material damage, a spokesman for the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defence said on X.

There ‌were no reported injuries, two of the people ​familiar with the matter said, given the building was empty in the early morning hours.

An embassy spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for ​comment, nor did the Saudi government media office.

-with AAP/dpa