Indian Air Force Flight Brings Back Third Batch Of 268 Indians From War Zone Israel: External Affairs Ministry

As tensions continue to simmer between Israel and Iran, India has stepped up efforts to bring its citizens home through Operation Sindhu. The third evacuation flight carrying 268 Indian nationals landed in New Delhi from Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Tuesday (24 June).

The evacuees were received by Minister of State Dr L Murugan. With this latest arrival, over 500 Indians have now been repatriated from war zone since the launch of the operation.

“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.

An evacuee praised the swift response, saying, “The government has evacuated us in such a short time and completed the whole process so fast. The government has done a fantastic job.”

Murugan wrote 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.”

Operation Sindhu was launched as a precautionary measure amid the volatile security situation in Israel following its brief but intense conflict with Iran.

Israel and Iran have accepted a US-brokered ceasefire after 12 days of conflict. The truce follows Iran’s missile strike on a US base in Qatar in response to American attacks on its nuclear sites.

Despite the agreement, the Israeli military warned, “Danger persists.”

Also Read: Ceasefire Halts Iran-Israel War, But "Danger Persists": Here's All About Evolving Situation In Middle East