An evacuation flight with 160 Indians, who had crossed into Jordan from Israel on Sunday and departed from Amman on Monday afternoon, was diverted to Kuwait. The diversion occurred due to airspace closures following Iranian missile strikes on US military bases in the region.
Flight Number J91254, which departed from Amman around 2:30 pm on Monday and was en route to Delhi via Kuwait, had to alter its course mid-flight and return to Kuwait. This diversion came in response to Iranian missile strikes launched in retaliation for the US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities on June 22. The Islamic Republic had threatened to retaliate in the wake of the American decision to join forces with Israel in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Esfahan.
MEA closely monitoring situation
The evacuees have been accommodated in a hall at the Kuwait airport and are awaiting further instructions, according to Arvind Shukla, a post-doctoral fellow who was on the flight. He informed news agency PTI over the phone that they are safe but uncertain about the next steps.
"Despite being on the way since early Sunday, the evacuees, who were among the first batch under Operation Sindhu launched on June 19 to evacuate Indians in Israel, are maintaining calm and waiting for further instructions," Shukla said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi and the Indian Embassy in Kuwait are in close contact with local authorities and are actively monitoring the situation.
After Iran launched missile attacks on US military bases in Qatar and Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Kuwait have closed their airspaces.
Operation Sindhu: 604 Indian nationals safely evacuated from Israel
A total of 604 Indian nationals have been safely evacuated from Israel via Jordan and Egypt under Operation Sindhu, the Indian Embassy in Israel said on Monday.
"Under #OperationSindhu, so far 604 Indian nationals have been safely evacuated from Israel via Jordan and Egypt,” the Indian Embassy in Israel had posted on Monday evening. “The first batch of 161 Indian nationals will reach New Delhi on 24 June at 0119 hrs IST," it also said.
Under Operation Sindhu, a total of 2,003 Indian nationals have been successfully evacuated and brought back from Iran to India so far. The operation continues as authorities monitor the situation and arrange further repatriation efforts if needed.
(With PTI inputs)
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