India has evacuated 4,415 individuals, including Indian nationals and a few foreign citizens, from conflict-hit Iran and Israel under Operation Sindhu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. The operation, which began on June 18, involved 19 special flights, including three by the Indian Air Force.
The latest flight, which landed in Delhi on June 26 at 10:30 PM, brought back 173 Indian nationals from Iran via Yerevan, Armenia. This was confirmed by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X.
The operation has evacuated 3,597 Indians from Iran and 818 from Israel. Fourteen Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders, nine Nepali nationals, four Sri Lankan citizens, and one Iranian spouse of an Indian national were also evacuated, Jaiswal added.
India began the evacuation after hostilities intensified between Iran and Israel, including a wave of missile and drone attacks and the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites on June 22.
“We launched Operation Sindhu on June 18. We have around 10,000 Indian community members in Iran and around 40,000 Indian nationals in Israel,” Jaiswal said during the MEA’s weekly media briefing.
He added, “We mounted 14 flights to bring back Indian nationals from Iran. These flights flew from Mashhad, as also from Yerevan in Armenia, and Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. I understand that one more flight is on its way from Armenia, and it will land later this evening. With that we would have completed… all those people who wish to be evacuated from Iran.”
In the past week, India operated several flights from Mashhad, Yerevan, and Ashgabat. On June 26, a flight carrying 272 Indians and three Nepalese nationals landed in Delhi just past midnight. The day before, 296 Indians and four Nepalese nationals were evacuated. Earlier, over 1,100 citizens were brought home on June 25 alone.
Evacuation from Israel was coordinated using land routes into Jordan and Egypt due to airspace closure. “We have so far evacuated 818 Indian nationals in four flights. As you are aware, the airspace in Israel was closed, so we had to take our people to bordering countries, i.e., Jordan and Egypt, and from both these countries they were put on special flights,” Jaiswal told reporters.
He added, “We are thankful to the government of Egypt and Jordan for their support.” He also acknowledged the cooperation of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Armenia in facilitating the safe return of Indian nationals. “We are grateful to the government of Iran for this special gesture,” he said.
India welcomed reports of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel and reiterated its call for “dialogue and diplomacy” to maintain regional stability. “India stands ready to play its part,” the MEA said on June 24.
The MEA said it would continue monitoring the ground situation before making further decisions on evacuation plans.
The latest flight, which landed in Delhi on June 26 at 10:30 PM, brought back 173 Indian nationals from Iran via Yerevan, Armenia. This was confirmed by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X.
The operation has evacuated 3,597 Indians from Iran and 818 from Israel. Fourteen Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders, nine Nepali nationals, four Sri Lankan citizens, and one Iranian spouse of an Indian national were also evacuated, Jaiswal added.
India began the evacuation after hostilities intensified between Iran and Israel, including a wave of missile and drone attacks and the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites on June 22.
“We launched Operation Sindhu on June 18. We have around 10,000 Indian community members in Iran and around 40,000 Indian nationals in Israel,” Jaiswal said during the MEA’s weekly media briefing.
He added, “We mounted 14 flights to bring back Indian nationals from Iran. These flights flew from Mashhad, as also from Yerevan in Armenia, and Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. I understand that one more flight is on its way from Armenia, and it will land later this evening. With that we would have completed… all those people who wish to be evacuated from Iran.”
In the past week, India operated several flights from Mashhad, Yerevan, and Ashgabat. On June 26, a flight carrying 272 Indians and three Nepalese nationals landed in Delhi just past midnight. The day before, 296 Indians and four Nepalese nationals were evacuated. Earlier, over 1,100 citizens were brought home on June 25 alone.
Evacuation from Israel was coordinated using land routes into Jordan and Egypt due to airspace closure. “We have so far evacuated 818 Indian nationals in four flights. As you are aware, the airspace in Israel was closed, so we had to take our people to bordering countries, i.e., Jordan and Egypt, and from both these countries they were put on special flights,” Jaiswal told reporters.
He added, “We are thankful to the government of Egypt and Jordan for their support.” He also acknowledged the cooperation of Iran, Turkmenistan, and Armenia in facilitating the safe return of Indian nationals. “We are grateful to the government of Iran for this special gesture,” he said.
India welcomed reports of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel and reiterated its call for “dialogue and diplomacy” to maintain regional stability. “India stands ready to play its part,” the MEA said on June 24.
The MEA said it would continue monitoring the ground situation before making further decisions on evacuation plans.
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