Operation Sindhu: Third Flight Lands In Delhi, 517 Indians Evacuated From Iran So Far As Middle East Tensions Continue To Rise

Amid the heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, India is continuing to evacuate its citizens from the conflict-ridden Iran under Operation Sindhu. In the latest update, the third flight with Indians landed in Delhi on Saturday morning.

With this, a total of 517 Indian citizens have been evacuated from Iran. Informing about the development, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of the Minsitry of External Affairs (MEA) said that a flight from Turkmenistan's Ashgabat landed in Delhi at 3:00 am today.

He said, "A special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan landed in New Delhi at 0300 hrs on 21st June, bringing Indians from Iran home. With this, so far 517 Indian nationals from Iran have returned home under Operation Sindhu."

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Earlier on late Friday night, a special flight from Iran carrying 290 Indians, including students and religious pilgrims, landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The flight arrived at the IGI Airport at 11:30 PM and was received by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Arun Kumar Chatterjee. Thanking the Iranian government for helping in Indian efforts, Jaiswal said, "The Government of India is grateful to the Government of Iran for the facilitation of the evacuation process."

Iran has granted a special exception to India for the evacuation of its citizens despite the closed airspace. On Thursday, the first flight flew 110 Indian nationals to Delhi. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared that more Indian students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, are being brought out of Iran via land routes to Armenia, from where they will be flown back to India.

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"We cannot evacuate them overnight because no airports are open, no ports are operational. We are first bringing them by road to cities where there is no bombing, and from there, efforts are being made to bring them back to India via Armenia. Today, we expect around 300 to 400 more students to arrive, most of whom are from Jammu and Kashmir. We will bring them back home safely, and there is a sense of hope all around," he said.

(With ANI Inputs)