Government Launches Operation Sindhu to Evacuate Indians From Iran

The government of India has launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate Indian nationals trapped in Iran due to the ongoing Israel-Iran war. The operation was launched with the cooperation of the Government of Iran and Armenia.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, OperationSindhu was launched on 18 June 2025, and the first batch of 110 Indian students arrived in New Delhi on a special flight from Yerevan, Armenia.

Later, on 19 June 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs extended Operation Sindhu to Indian citizens who wanted to leave Israel. 

Israel launched ‘Operation Rising Lion’ targeting Iran’s nuclear and military sites to stop Iran. According to Israel, the main aim of the military operation was to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran has retaliated, and the war between the two countries has continued with a barrage of missile attacks by Iran on Israel and Israeli air strikes on Iran.

Help of Armenia in Operation Sindhu 

Initially, the Indian students in northern Iran are being evacuated. Iran shares its northern boundary with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, and the Caspian Sea.

India does not have good relations with Azerbaijan, but it has good relations with Armenia and Turkmenistan.

Thus, the Indians in northern Iran were first evacuated to Armenia by road and reached the capital Yerevan.

From Yerevan, they were evacuated to India by special flights.

The government of India is likely to use the Armenian route to evacuate Indians from Iran.

Previous Operation Launched by the Indian Government

In the past, the Government of India has launched similar operations to evacuate Indians from conflict zones around the world. 

Evacuation from Kuwait 1990

• In 1990, Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait to take over its oil resources. The government of India launched a massive exercise to evacuate around 1 lakh 70,000 thousands Indians from Kuwait. 
• Air India, Indian Airlines, and the Indian Air Force conducted the rescue operation. 
• Guinness World Records recognised Air India's role in the evacuation as the largest evacuation by a civil airliner.
• There was no code name for the operation. 

Operation Sukoon 2006 (Lebanon)

• The Indian Navy launched it to rescue 1,764 persons, which included the citizens of Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries, from Beirut, Lebanon.
• The crisis was triggered after Israel invaded Lebanon to destroy the bases of the radical Islamic group Hezbollah, which used its bases in Lebanon to attack Israel.

Operation Safecoming 2011 (Libya)

• Civil war broke out in Libya after a rebellion against the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
• To rescue the Indians from Libya, the Indian Navy and Air India launched Operation Safe Coming in 2011.

Operation Rahat 2015  (Yemen)

• It was launched by the Indian Navy, Air Force and Air India to rescue Indians and foreigners from Yemen after Saudi Arabian-led coalition forces intervened in the Yemen Civil War to support the ousted President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi..
• Around 4,748 Indian citizens and 1,962 foreigners were rescued during this operation.

Operation Sankat Mochan 2016  (South Sudan)

• It was launched by the Indian Air Force in 2016 to bring back 153 Indians and 2 Nepali Citizens from South Sudan’s capital, Juba.
• The operation was launched after fighting broke out between two factions in South Sudan’s Juba in July 2016.

Operation Dev Shakti  2021 (Afghanistan)

• Launched by the Indian Air Force and Air India to bring back 800 people, including Afghan citizens belonging to the Hindu and Sikh minorities, to India.
• The operation was launched after the rebel Taliban forces captured Kabul on 15 August 2021, and President Ashraf Ghani fled from the country.

Operation Ganga 2022 (Ukraine)

• The Indian Air Force launched it in coordination with Air India, Indigo, GoFirst, and Air Asia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 
• Around 23,000 Indians were brought home from Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia between 26 February to 11 March 2022.

Also Read: Israel Launches Operation Rising Lion to Hit Iran's Nuclear Site