IAF airlifts 224 more Indians from Israel, Operation Sindhu toll rises to 818

Minister Shobha Karandlaje welcomes evacuees at Hindon air base as C-17s continue repatriation missions from Israel and parallel operations bring 2,858 nationals home from Iran

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force on Wednesday successfully evacuated 224 more Indian nationals from Israel under Operation Sindhu, bringing the total number of citizens repatriated to 818. Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje received the latest group of 224 evacuees at Hindon Air Base in New Delhi at 10:30 hrs.

The Ministry of External Affairs, in a post on X, reaffirmed that “the safety and security of Indian nationals remain a priority for the government.” The IAF has deployed its C-17 transport aircraft to airlift stranded Indians, and citizens of friendly nations such as Nepal and Sri Lanka from war-hit Israel to safety.

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Operation Sindhu commenced on June 23 via Jordan. The first repatriation flight brought 161 citizens from Amman to New Delhi on Tuesday morning, followed later that day by a second sortie evacuating 286 Indians from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Simultaneously, a parallel evacuation effort has been underway in Iran, from where 2,858 Indian nationals have been flown home from Tehran and other affected regions. Operation Sindhu was launched by the Government of India in response to escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel.