Amidst the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, India has launched ‘Operation Sindhu’ to facilitate the return of its citizens from the region.
An Indian Air Force C-17 flight carrying 268 Indian nationals landed in New Delhi from Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Tuesday (24 June).
With this latest arrival, over 500 Indians have now been repatriated from the war zone since the launch of the operation.
The Israel leg of Operation Sindhu began on June 23, according to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
“The IAF C-17 flight from Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt landed in Delhi at 1100 hrs on 24th June,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X.
“268 Indian nationals who returned in the third flight from Israel were received by MoS Dr. L Murugan,” he added.
Earlier, the Indian Air Force successfully evacuated 165 Indian nationals from Jordan as part of Operation Sindhu. A C-17 aircraft of the IAF landed in Delhi on Tuesday morning, where the passengers were received by Minister of State L. Murugan.
The first group consisted of 161 Indian nationals from Israel, who arrived at 0820 hrs from Amman, Jordan.
“In response to heightened tensions in conflict-affected areas in West Asia, IAF C-17 aircraft commenced missions from Jordan and Egypt to extricate Indian nationals and citizens of friendly countries. The IAF remains committed as first responders to provide assistance within the country and across the globe in times of need,” according to the Air Force.
Murugan posted on X, “…With coordinated efforts under the effective leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Shri.@narendramodi ji, we saw the safe return of 165 Indians in the IAF C-17 flight, which landed at 8:45 AM today.”
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Operation Sindhu was launched as a precautionary measure amid the volatile security situation in Israel following its brief but intense conflict with Iran.
