India launches Op Sindhu to evacuate Indians from Iran; 1st flight to land early Thursday

New Delhi: The first evacuation flight returning a group of Indian people being evacuated out of Iran is expected to arrive in India in the early hours of Thursday, officials said.

India on Wednesday announced launching 'Operation Sindhu' to evacuate Indian nationals from Iran as the Persian Gulf nation's conflict with Israel showed no sign of letting up.

Even as India kicked off the evacuation mission, there were reports of some Indian students sustaining injuries in a strike on a medical students' dormitory in the Keshavarz Street area in Tehran.

Iranian embassy officials in Delhi said the Iranian foreign ministry was in close touch with the Indian mission in Tehran after some students were injured.

There was no immediate comment on the reported incident from the Indian side.

"India accords highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The MEA announced on Tuesday that Indian students in Tehran had been relocated for safety concerns, according to preparations made by the Indian Embassy.

Tehran, the Iranian capital, is under a fierce Israeli blitz which seeks to destroy Iran's nuclear programme and its ballistic missile capabilities.

Under Operation Rising Lion, Israel has conducted multiple strikes on the territory of Iran. Tehran retaliated after warning Israel and the military flare-up entered its sixth day on Wednesday, amid fears of a wider conflict.

In its statement issued on Tuesday, the MEA said other residents who are self-sufficient in terms of transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation.

Separately, some Indians have been facilitated to leave Iran through the border with Armenia, the MEA said, adding that further advisories may be issued given the fluid situation.

According to the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, 110 Indian students from Urmia Medical University, 90 of them from the Kashmir Valley, have safely crossed the border into Armenia.

"These students departed Yerevan on a special flight at 1455 hours on June 18 and will arrive in New Delhi in the early hours of June 19 as part of the initial stages of Operation Sindhu," the MEA said.

New Delhi said it is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for the smooth facilitation of the evacuation process.

In view of the deteriorating situation as a result of the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel, India has been taking various steps over the last several days for the safety and security of Indian nationals in Iran.

"As part of the ongoing operation, the Indian embassy in Iran has been assisting large numbers of Indian nationals in moving from areas seeing increased hostilities to relatively safer areas within the country and to subsequently evacuate them using the available and feasible options," the MEA said.

"Indian nationals in Iran are advised to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Tehran through its emergency helpline, and with the 24x7 Control Room established by the MEA in New Delhi," it said.

With PTI inputs