Operation Sindhu begins: The first batch of 110 Indians from Iran reached India; family members shed tears after meeting their loved ones.

Given the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, the Government of India has started Operation Sindhu to bring back thousands of Indians living there safely. The first batch of students being brought from Iran to India reached India on Thursday morning. The first batch includes more than 100 students. The Ministry of External Affairs said the safety of Indian citizens living abroad is the first priority of the government. More than 4,000 Indian citizens are living in Iran and half of them are students. 110 students from northern Iran were safely transported to Armenia.

Students who returned to India said - Missiles used to pass over their heads.

Amid the deteriorating situation in Iran, 110 Indian citizens stranded there were safely evacuated and brought to India. A special flight carrying all of them landed at Delhi airport. One of these students, Yasir Ghaffar, said that they saw missiles flying overhead at night and heard loud explosions. There was an atmosphere of fear, but now we are relieved to have reached India.

Yasir said that he has not given up on his dreams yet and will return to Iran when the situation improves. The students and their families have expressed gratitude for this action of the government. Due to the ever-increasing tension between Iran and Israel, India is engaged in evacuating its citizens from there safely.

The student who arrived in Delhi from Iran narrated his ordeal.

The student who came to India amid the deteriorating situation in Iran said that the situation is getting worse every day, especially since the situation in Tehran is very serious. All Indian students are being evacuated from there. Indian officials are doing a good job. We are all being sent to a safe place. The student said that he was first taken out of the university and taken to Armenia, then from there he was sent to Qatar. Finally, he reached India.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Union thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for starting the evacuation operation. The association said in a statement, "We hope that all the remaining students will be evacuated soon.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India is grateful to the governments of Iran and Armenia for conducting the evacuation process smoothly. The Ministry of External Affairs said, that given the ongoing war between Iran and Israel, the Indian Embassy in Iran is helping to evacuate a large number of Indian citizens to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The MEA further said that Indian citizens in Iran are advised to stay in touch with the emergency helpline of the Indian Embassy in Tehran and the 24x7 control room set up by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.

Family members were happy to meet their loved ones.

During this, the father of the evacuated student said that my son was coming back via Armenia by a special plane sent from India. He was doing MBBS in Iran. I have come to pick him up from Kota, Rajasthan. I am happy that my son is returning home. Praising the Government of India, he said that the government has made good efforts. I urge the government to help the students stranded in Tehran. I do. My son was in the border area, and the situation there was not so tense, and only people living in border areas have been able to leave the country. People trapped in the interior of the country, including Tehran, have not been able to get out yet. I would like to thank the Indian Embassy in Tehran for their efforts.

Earlier on Monday, the Indian Embassy had sent all Indian students from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University and Iran University of Medical Sciences to safe places. All Indian students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were sent to the city of Qom. On Tuesday, the process of evacuating students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences continued.

Indians were advised to leave Tehran.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had asked Indians to leave Tehran. The ministry had said that other Indian residents who have means of movement should also leave the city given the changing situation. The Indian Embassy in Iran said in a social media post that all Indian citizens and PIOs are on their own. Those who cannot go out of Tehran without resources are advised to move to a safe place outside the city.

24-hour control room set up

Given the ongoing developments in Iran and Israel, a 24x7 control room has been set up in the Ministry of External Affairs. The control room can be contacted on these numbers - 1800118797 (toll-free) +91-11-23012113 +91-11-23014104 +91-11-23017905 +91-9968291988 (WhatsApp). Apart from this, one can also talk by email ID situationroom@mea.gov.in.

The helpline number was also released in Tehran.

The Indian Embassy in Tehran has set up a 24x7 emergency helpline, the Ministry of External Affairs said and shared contact details. It said, for calls only: +98 9128109115, +98 9128109109; For WhatsApp: +98 901044557, +98 9015993320, +91 8086871709; Bandar Abbas: +98 9177699036; Zahedan: +98 9396356649 and email cons.tehran@mea.gov.in.