Australia won't send troops to Iran | ABC News Top Stories

Australia says it won't send troops to help if the US runs a ground operation in Iran.

So far the US-Israeli war on Iran has been conducted through airstrikes, but America's been sending thousands of troops to the region.

If US President Donald Trump were to decide to attack on the ground, it would be a serious escalation of the conflict.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia wouldn't provide boots on the ground support if that happened...saying Australia's position is defensive, not offensive.

Israel’s Parliament has approved the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis.

The new law makes death by hanging the default punishment for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank convicted for what is described as nationalistic killings.

Both Israeli and Palestinian rights groups have harshly condemned the law, saying it's racist and draconian.

Israel's traditional western allies including the UK, Germany and France have also criticised the move.

And the Prime Minister says the death of Dezi Freeman will bring justice for the two police officers he killed last year.

Freeman was on the run for seven months after shooting officers and running into the Victorian bush.

Police found and killed him outside a shipping container at a rural property in the state's north yesterday.

Anthony Albanese says Freeman's actions were "reprehensible"

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