New 'do not travel' warning issued for Australians as Middle East war rages: What you need to know

• Australians warned not to travel to the Middle East
• SmartTraveller has issued an updated warning

Australians have been urged not to travel to the United Arab Emirates after a new government warning.

Smartraveller issued the 'do not travel' warning on Sunday as retaliatory military and drone strikes continue across the Middle East after joint US-Israel action on Iran.

'The UAE airspace may open or close at short notice, impacting flights at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports,' it said.

'Military conflict in the region may result in widespread movement restrictions, and other travel disruptions.'

The government has told Australians not to travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the UAE and Yemen. 

'Australians should reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia and exercise a high degree of caution in Azerbaijan,' the notice said.

The warning comes after Australians witnessed an attack near the main terminal of Dubai Airport, leaving thousands trapped inside the building and stranded on planes.

The UAE said Iran had launched more than 1,400 missiles and drones at sites across the country.

Australians have been urged not to travel to the United Arab Emirates following a new government warning (pictured, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong)

SmartTraveller issued the 'do not travel' warning on Sunday as retaliatory military and drone strikes continue across the Middle East after joint US-Israel action on Iran

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government had told Australian diplomats and their families to leave the UAE.

'The Australian government has directed the departure of dependants of Australian officials posted to the UAE, due to the deteriorating security situation,' she said.

But beyond officials, ordinary Australians have also been severely affected as they try to travel through the region. 

Australian mother Camille Thioulouse and her family live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but were stranded in the UAE's Abu Dhabi last week on their way home from a holiday.

While aboard a plane approaching UAE airspace on their return from a holiday, they witnessed fighter jets flying past.

'Fleeing a conflict zone with two small children was something I never imagined I would ever have to do,' Ms Thioulouse told Daily Mail on Saturday.

Wong said Australia was considering a request for military help from allies in the region, but would not be part of any ground troop deployment.

'You would anticipate, as a consequence, that we have been asked for assistance, and we will work through that carefully,' she told ABC's Insiders program on Sunday.

Aussie mum Camille Thioulouse and her family (pictured) had to drive 10 hours from Abu Dhabi in the UAE to their home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, due to travel disruptions caused by retaliatory strikes 

Penny Wong also said Australia was considering a request for military help from allies in the region, but would not be part of any ground-troop deployment (pictured, an Iranian domestically-built missile at a rally in Tehran in February)

'If a decision is made, I'm sure that we will be transparent with the Australian people.'

Iran has launched strikes against neighbouring countries including the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain following US and Israel-led attacks, which killed the country's leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O'Brien said he was open to helping countries in the Gulf.

'The United States and Israel have been doing the heavy lifting for the free world here,' he told ABC Radio National.

Mr O'Brien said he had requested a briefing from the government on the issue.

Jennifer Parker, an expert associate at the Australian National University's National Security College, said Australian forces may be called on to support allied militaries in the region.

'I would suspect that we will try and assist with the issues of missile and drone detection, and potentially missile and drone interception,' she told AAP.

'We could consider deploying fighter jets to the region to help defend the Gulf countries against these attacks. That would probably be the most effective deployment for Australia.

'That comes with some complications in terms of stressing that they're being used for defensive, rather than offensive, roles.'

Australian forces could also be used to provide support in getting oil through the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of world supplies travel.

Iran has been blocking access to the strait following the attacks, leading to petrol and diesel price spikes.

If Australian defence personnel were sent to the region, it would be unlikely to put them at greater risk of attack, Ms Parker said.

'Australia is considered as allied with the US anyway, and so therefore, because of that relationship, Iran would consider Australians as targets in the same way that they have in some of the Gulf countries,' she said.