Operation Sindhu: 4,415 Indians evacuated from Iran, Israel so far, says MEA

A total of 4,415 Indian nationals have been brought back from Iran and Israel so far under Operation Sindhu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

“A total of 4,415 Indian nationals (3,597 from Iran and 818 from Israel) have been evacuated so far using 19 special evacuation flights including 3 IAF C-17 aircraft. 14 OCI card-holders, 9 Nepali nationals, 4 Sri Lankan nationals and 1 Iranian spouse of an Indian national were also evacuated from Iran. The evacuated Indian nationals included more than 1500 women and 500 children,” the MEA said in a statement.

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The Indian government launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate all the Indian nationals from Iran and Israel amidst the escalating tensions between both countries, which had gripped the region for the past couple of weeks before a ceasefire was agreed on Tuesday.

“In view of the recent developments in West Asia, the Government of India launched Operation Sindhu on June 18 to evacuate Indian nationals from conflict zones in Iran and Israel,” the statement said.

The MEA said 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 20 June on our 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 18-26 June using 15 special evacuation flights,” the statement said.

The Israel leg of Operation Sindhu commenced on June 23. Indian Missions in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Amman and Cairo facilitated 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-El-Sheikh from June 22-25 using 4 evacuation flights including 3 IAF C-17 aircraft.

“In view of the re-opening of the airspace, evacuation operations were halted on June 25. Further actions will be taken based on the evolving situation in West Asia,” the MEA said.

“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,” the statement added.