UPDATE: India Brings Back 173 More Citizens from Iran; Operation Sindhu Crosses 4,400 Mark

India’s evacuation drive under Operation Sindhu continued with a special flight from Yerevan, Armenia landing in New Delhi with 173 Indian nationals evacuated from conflict-hit Iran.

With this, the total number of Indians brought home under the operation has reached 4,415. 

Image Source: MEA/FM on X

Of these, 3,597 were evacuated from Iran and 818 from Israel since the mission began earlier this month in response to the regional escalation following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 19 special flights — including three Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft — have been deployed to facilitate these evacuations. 

The operation has also assisted 28 foreign nationals, including 14 OCI card-holders, 9 Nepali nationals, 4 Sri Lankan nationals, and 1 Iranian spouse of an Indian citizen.

The evacuation was coordinated via Armenia due to ongoing airspace restrictions and damage to key Iranian airports, following a wave of retaliatory strikes between Iran and Israel earlier this month.

Indian embassies across the region have been operating war rooms to coordinate rescue logistics and support stranded citizens. 

Operation Sindhu has been described as one of India's most complex and swift peacetime evacuation efforts in recent memory.