India Evacuates Nearly 3,000 Citizens from Iran and Israel Amid Regional Tensions
India has successfully evacuated close to 3,000 of its nationals from conflict-hit Iran and Israel as part of its ongoing Operation Sindhu. By Tuesday morning, several evacuation flights, including Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 heavy-lift aircraft and chartered civilian planes, had transported citizens safely back to India.
The latest phase of evacuations involved more than 600 Indians who had earlier crossed from Israel into Egypt and Jordan by road. On Tuesday, the first group of 161 Indians who had moved into Jordan were flown to New Delhi on a chartered flight from Amman, landing at 8:20 AM. The group was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita and External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Another group of 165 Indians from Israel who crossed into Jordan arrived in a C-17 IAF aircraft around 8:45 AM and were welcomed by Minister of State L. Murugan. Additionally, approximately 300 Indians who had crossed from Israel into Egypt via the Taba land border were evacuated from Sharm-el-Sheikh in another C-17 flight.
Flight delays were reported due to temporary airspace restrictions imposed by West Asian countries following Iranian missile strikes in the region late Monday. Despite these challenges, evacuations proceeded swiftly.
India has also continued evacuating its citizens from Iran. A chartered flight brought 292 Indians from the Iranian city of Mashhad to New Delhi at 3:30 AM on Tuesday. With this, the total number of Indians evacuated from Iran since last week has reached 2,295.
Under Operation Sindhu, launched last week, India advised its nationals in Israel to move to border crossings with Egypt or Jordan, from where special flights were arranged. In Iran, citizens were initially transported to Armenia by road before air evacuations began from Mashhad once Iran eased airspace restrictions as a special gesture.
India’s embassy in Tehran has confirmed plans to evacuate all Indian nationals from Iran. The country is home to around 10,000 Indians, many of whom are students or religious pilgrims. In Israel, more than 32,000 Indians reside, including caregivers and construction workers recently recruited to replace Palestinian laborers.
