Australia has evacuated a small number of citizens from Israel, and New Zealand embassy staff have left Iran, but the two governments warned that closed airspace limited how they can assist thousands of citizens requesting help to leave the conflict zone.

Australia said on Friday it had suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran, citing "a deteriorating security environment" as Israel hit Iran's nuclear facilities again, and the

The federal government's decision to move diplomatic staff and their families out of Tehran comes amid growing fears about a major conflict in the region.