Op Sindhu: India decides to evacuate its nationals from Israel too

Bengaluru (TIP)- India announced on Thursday, June 19, that it will begin evacuating Indian nationals who want to leave Israel in view of the clashes with Iran, with arrangements being made for them to leave via land borders because of airspace restrictions.
The evacuation of Indians from Israel will be done under Operation Sindhu, initially launched by the Indian government on Wednesday for getting Indian citizens in Iran to safety.
“In view of the recent developments between Israel and Iran, the Government of India has decided to evacuate from Israel those Indian nationals who wish to leave,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
“Their travel from Israel to India will be facilitated through the land borders and thereafter by air to India,” the statement added. This is being done in view of airspace restrictions over Israel since the clashes with Iran erupted over the past weekend.
The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv will be responsible for arrangements for evacuating the Indians. All Indian nationals in Israel were requested to register with the embassy in Tel Aviv. The embassy has also set up a 24×7 control room to assist the Indians.
The Indian embassy reiterated its earlier advisories urging Indian citizens in Israel to remain vigilant and strictly follow safety guidelines issued by Israeli authorities and the Home Front Command.
The number of Indians in Israel has swelled to more than 32,000 in recent months as Israeli authorities stepped up the recruitment of blue collar workers, primarily for the construction sector, to replace Palestinian labour. Indian workers, including care-givers and professionals, are spread across Israel.
The Indian government accords the highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals and will continue monitoring the situation closely. “The embassy remains continuously in touch with the community with a view to extending all feasible assistance,” the statement said.
There have been no reports so far of casualties among the Indian nationals in Israel. A few Indian students in Tehran were injured earlier this week when an Israeli air strike hit a students dormitory.
Hostilities between Israel and Iran continued for the seventh day, with Iranian missiles hitting four sites in central and southern Israel, including Soroka hospital, while Israeli forces attacked Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor.
Iran launched some 20 ballistic missiles at Israel on Thursday. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has said that “eliminating” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is one of his country’s objectives.
Back from war-torn Iran, J&K students head to home towns
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday, June 19, confirmed the arrival of 110 Indian students, including 94 from Kashmir, in Delhi and said that the government had made transport arrangement for their journey back to Kashmir. Out of the 94, 20 students have already reached Kashmir via flights.
As many as 94 students from Jammu and Kashmir were among the 110 people evacuated from war-affected Iran on Wednesday. They were taken to Armenia before being flown to Doha. The students arrived in Delhi from the Qatari capital early Thursday.
“94 of our students evacuated from Iran have safely reached Delhi. The Government is making transport arrangements to ensure their smooth journey home, which will be in place within the next few hours,” Omar Abdullah wrote on X.
However, after reaching at Delhi Airport the students claimed that no one from J&K government was there to receive them and also criticised the state government for making poor transport arrangement.
New buses were arranged by the government on the intervention of chief minister Omar. “The chief minister has taken note of the request of the students evacuated from Iran regarding the quality of buses arranged to transport them from Delhi to J&K. The resident commissioner has been tasked with coordinating with the JKRTC to ensure proper deluxe buses are arranged,” wrote office of J&K chief minister on X.
Kashmiri students usually opt for Iranian universities because of their affordability and similar cultural milieu. The students are spread in Tehran, Shiraz and Qom. Iran is home to more than 4,000 Indian students, half of them from J&K, who are enrolled in medical and other professional courses.