4415 Indian nationals brought home from Iran and Israel under Operation Sindhu: MEA

A total of 4415 Indian nationals - 3597 from Iran and 818 from Israel - have been evacuated so far using 19 special evacuation flights during Operation Sindhu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

The evacuated Indian nationals included more than 1500 women and 500 children. The flights, including three C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, also brought home 14 OCI card-holders, nine Nepali nationals, four Sri Lankan nationals and one Iranian spouse of an Indian national.

As tensions escalated in West Asia, the government of India had launched Operation Sindhu on June 18 to evacuate Indian nationals from conflict zones in Iran and Israel.

On June 17-18, Indian Missions in Tehran, Yerevan, and Ashgabat coordinated the evacuation of Indian nationals from Iran through land border crossings to Armenia and Turkmenistan. Special evacuation flights commenced on June 18 and facilitated the return of Indian nationals to New Delhi.

The majority of evacuations were carried out through Mashhad, after Iran opened its airspace for evacuation flights under Operation Sindhu on June 20 on New Delhi's request.

"We thank the Government of Iran for this gesture. A total of 3597 Indian nationals — including students, workers, professionals, pilgrims and fishermen - from more than 15 Indian states - were brought back to India from Yerevan, Ashgabat and Mashhad from June 18-26 using 15 special evacuation flights," the MEA stated.

The Israel leg of Operation Sindhu commenced on June 23 with the Indian Missions in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Amman and Cairo facilitating the movement of Indian nationals across land borders to Jordan and Egypt.

A total of 818 Indian nationals were evacuated, including students, workers and professionals. They were evacuated from Amman and Sharm al Sheikh from June 22-25 using four evacuation flights, including three IAF C-17 aircraft.

"The Government of India is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad. Under PM Narendra Modi's guidance, Operation Sindhu is another demonstration of this commitment. We thank the Governments of Iran, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Armenia and Turkmenistan for their support during Operation Sindhu. Indian Missions will stay engaged with host Governments and the Indian community in Iran, Israel and the wider West Asia region," read the statement issued by the MEA.

It added that, in view of the re-opening of the airspace, evacuation operations were halted on June 25 and further actions will be taken based on the evolving situation in West Asia.

Picture Courtesy: IANS