India Evacuates Nearly 3,000 Nationals from Iran and Israel Amid Escalating Tensions.
India has successfully evacuated close to 3,000 citizens from war-hit Iran and Israel under its recently launched Operation Sindhu, using a combination of Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft and chartered commercial flights.
Multiple Evacuation Flights Land in Delhi
By Tuesday morning, over 600 Indians had been flown out on IAF’s C-17 heavy-lift aircraft, after first crossing from Israel into Egypt and Jordan by road. A group of 161 Indians, who had moved to Jordan by road, landed in New Delhi at 8:20 am in a chartered flight from Amman. They were welcomed by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita.
Another 165 evacuees, also from Jordan, were flown in via IAF’s C-17 aircraft and greeted by Union Minister L Murugan after arriving at 8:45 am. Nearly 300 Indians, who had crossed into Egypt through the Taba land border, were airlifted from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Evacuation flights from Jordan were delayed due to airspace restrictions following Iranian missile strikes on Monday night, officials said.
Evacuations from Iran Continue
Meanwhile, India’s evacuation from Iran remained in full swing. A chartered flight carrying 292 Indians from Mashhad landed in New Delhi at 3:30 am on Tuesday. Since last week, a total of 2,295 Indians have been evacuated from Iran, many of them students and pilgrims.
Initially, Indian nationals in Iran were moved by road to Armenia, but with easing airspace curbs last Friday, direct flights resumed from Mashhad.
Coordinated Response
The Indian government had advised nationals in Israel to exit via land borders to Jordan or Egypt, where evacuation flights were made available. There are currently over 32,000 Indians in Israel, including caregivers and construction workers, many of whom were recently recruited to replace Palestinian labour.
In Iran, about 10,000 Indians reside—primarily students and pilgrims. The Indian Embassy in Tehran has confirmed that all citizens wishing to return will be evacuated.
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