Melbourne, March 27 (NNN-BERNAMA) The Australian Foreign Affairs Department is warning Australians of the danger of travelling to Sri Lanka after Tamil rebels there forced the closure of the island's main international airport by bombing the nearby air force base.

The decades long civil conflict escalated overnight Monday when Tamil forces attacked the Sri Lankan Air Force base at Bandaranaike Airport, the attack leading to the closure of the adjacent commercial airport.

A Foreign Affairs Department advisory issued Monday said flights might be diverted to the Maldives and India.

"We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Sri Lanka at this time because of ongoing civil unrest, the volatile security situation and the very high risk of terrorist attacks," the advisory said.

"Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Sri Lanka. Australians could inadvertently become victims of violence directed at others, in particular Sri Lankan government and military targets."