India’s large-scale evacuation mission, Operation Sindhu, has so far airlifted over 1,713 Indian nationals from Iran, even as evacuations from Israel remain temporarily rerouted through neighbouring countries due to closed airspace.
The latest repatriation flight, which touched down in Delhi on Sunday night, carried 28 Indian citizens, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. The operation, mounted in response to the deepening conflict between Iran and Israel, aims to extract all Indian nationals from volatile regions.
“The Government has scheduled three more flights from Iran in the next two to three days,” said Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, who received the latest group of evacuees at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
“We are in constant contact with Indian nationals in Iran as well as Israel,” the minister added, underlining India’s multi-pronged diplomatic and logistical coordination.
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Evacuation from Israel through land routes
While operations from Iran continue unhindered, the situation in Israel remains logistically complex. Due to Israel’s closed airspace, Indian nationals have been instructed to register with the Indian Embassy in Tel Aviv and secure necessary documentation to exit via land borders into Jordan and Egypt.
Once across the border, the evacuees will be transported back to India by air from these neighbouring countries.
Margherita confirmed that a total of 162 Indians had successfully crossed into Jordan and would be brought back within “a day or two”.
India's operation also spans a wide geographic spread, with evacuees hailing from Bihar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
The evacuation efforts have been prompted by rapidly deteriorating security conditions in Iran and Israel following a spike in hostilities, including direct strikes and threats to nuclear infrastructure. Reports of the United States using Indian airspace to strike Iranian sites have also emerged, although these were later countered by official clarifications.
Despite the risks and logistical barriers, Indian authorities have managed to maintain regular coordination with diplomatic posts in the region, ensuring that citizens are safely returned without bureaucratic delays or additional distress.
Operation Sindhu mirrors India’s previous large-scale evacuation missions, including Operation Ganga (Ukraine) and Vande Bharat (Covid-19 pandemic).
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