New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): A total of 268 Indian nationals were evacuated by the Indian Air Force under Operation Sindhu from Egypt in an effort to get citizens back home safe amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The IAF's C-17 aircraft landed in Delhi this morning, and the passengers were welcomed by Minister of State L. Murugan.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, informed about the flight in a post on X, adding, '268 Indian nationals who returned in the third flight from Israel were received by MoS Dr L Murugan. The IAF C-17 flight from Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, landed in Delhi at 1100 hrs on 24th June.'

He informed that a total of 594 Indians have returned so far from Israel as part of Operation Sindhu.

https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1937420124186632697

Earlier, a total of 165 Indian nationals were evacuated by the Indian Air Force under Operation Sindhu from Jordan in an effort to get citizens back home safely amid the Israel-Iran conflict. The IAF's C-17 aircraft landed in Delhi this morning, and the passengers were welcomed by Minister of State L. Murugan.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, informed about the flight in a post on X, adding, 'An IAF C-17 flight evacuated 165 Indian nationals from Israel under Operation Sindhu. They were received by MoS L. Murugan upon arrival in Delhi. The aircraft landed at 0845 hrs on 24th June 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,' the Air Force said in a post on X.

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the Israel leg of Operation Sindhu started on June 23. Jaiswal emphasised that the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad remain the government's highest priority.

The conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13 when the former launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, code-named 'Operation Rising Lion'. In retaliation, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) initiated a large-scale drone and missile campaign called 'Operation True Promise 3', targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres.

Tensions escalated further after the US conducted precision airstrikes early Sunday morning on three key Iranian nuclear facilities under 'Operation Midnight Hammer'. Iran retaliated by launching multiple missiles at US military installations in Qatar and Iraq, including the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the region, CNN reported. (ANI)