Australian Embassy Under Siege

Some have criticised Australia's embassy in Lebanon for "pulling out" at the first sign of trouble. Sadly, this is to be expected since Beirut is now extremely hazardous.

So we can surmise that Foreign Minister Downer had either a) credible intelligence that Israel was deliberately targeting the Australian Embassy (unlikely), or b) a well-founded fear that Israel's policy of systematically bombing and shelling anything and everything in Beirut jeopardised our officials (likely).

In which case, why isn't Downer publicly decrying such wanton and reckless destruction as illegal and immoral? Speak up, Mr Downer! If it's unacceptable for Australia's diplomatic corps to be exposed to such risks, then it's unacceptable for the defenceless citizens of Lebanon.