Tehran: As hostilities continue to escalate in the Middle East, India has expanded its ongoing evacuation mission, Operation Sindhu, to include citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka. This development follows formal requests from the governments of both neighbouring countries, the Indian Embassy in Tehran confirmed.
In a post on X, the Indian Embassy announced, “On request of the Governments of Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Indian Embassy's evacuation efforts in Iran will also cover citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka.”
To assist affected individuals, the embassy has issued emergency contact numbers: +98 9010144557, +98 9128109115, and +98 9128109109. Additionally, a dedicated Telegram channel has been activated to ensure effective coordination and communication during the evacuation process.
The expansion of the mission comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. The crisis intensified following Israel’s launch of ‘Operation Rising Lion’ — a military offensive reportedly aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure. In retaliation, Iran has conducted a series of counterstrikes, contributing to a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the region.
In response, India launched Operation Sindhu to facilitate the safe return of its nationals from Iran. On Saturday morning, a special evacuation flight from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, landed in New Delhi, carrying Indian citizens evacuated from danger zones.
This flight followed a successful mission on Friday night, during which 290 Indian students — the majority hailing from Jammu and Kashmir — were brought home safely from Mashhad after Iranian authorities temporarily reopened the country’s airspace.
So far, a total of 517 Indian nationals have been successfully evacuated under Operation Sindhu.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran, in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), continues to provide logistical support and ensure the smooth execution of evacuation operations.
In a significant move, Iran has also lifted airspace restrictions to permit three chartered flights aimed at evacuating nearly 1,000 Indian nationals — most of them students — from Mashhad, one of the cities severely impacted by the ongoing regional unrest.
With IANS inputs