The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday evacuated 165 Indian nationals from Israel under Operation Sindhu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The IAF joined in the operations with its C-17 aircraft to evacuate the Indian nationals and the citizens of friendly nations, including Nepal and Sri Lanka, from war-hit Israel and bring them back home to safety.

Taking to X, the MEA posted, "Operation Sindhu: An IAF C-17 flight evacuated 165 Indian nationals from Israel under Operation Sindhu. They were received by MoS Dr. L. Murugan upon arrival in Delhi. The aircraft landed at 0845 hrs on 24th June from Amman."

The Air Force also took to social media and posted, "In response to heightened tensions in conflict-affected areas in West Asia, IAF C-17 aircraft commenced missions from Jordan and Egypt to extricate Indian nationals and citizens of friendly countries. The IAF remains committed as first responders to provide assistance within the country and across the globe in times of need."

Earlier in the day, before the IAF aircraft landed in India, the MEA announced that the Israel leg of Operation Sindhu started on Monday, June 23, via Jordan, marking its first successful repatriation flight, with 161 citizens landing in New Delhi from Amman on Tuesday morning.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita personally received the group at the airport.

Speaking to IANS, he said, "I am very happy to welcome the first batch of 161 Indian nationals evacuated from Israel. This group has safely arrived just a short while ago at New Delhi airport."

"We are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to providing all possible and necessary assistance to our citizens in Iran and Israel. Under Operation Sindhu, all the nationals are arriving safely," the MoS added.

Meanwhile, a similar evacuation process continued in Iran, and so far, according to the MEA, 2290 Indian nationals have been brought back home.

The Government of India has launched Operation Sindhu, a strategic evacuation initiative to repatriate Indian nationals stranded in both countries.