Operation Sindhu: India to begin evacuating citizens wishing to leave Israel
The evacuation of Indians from Israel will be done under Op Sindhu, initially launched by the Indian government for getting Indian citizens in Iran to safety
New Delhi: India announced on Thursday 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 24x7 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.
Also Read: India moves students out of Tehran, some Indians leave Iran via Armenia
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.
Also Read: India relocates its citizens, students in Iran as Israel strikes rock Tehran
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.
