Indians return from war-hit Iran, describe their ordeal. Watch
Amid chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Hindustan Zindabad", distressed passengers from Iran stepped onto home soil, ANI reported.
About the conditions in Iran, Tazkiya Fatima, a resident of Noida, said, "There is a situation of war over there. We were not sure how we would make it out of there, but the Government of India made the whole process very smooth. I am very thankful to the Indian government," she said.
Track Israel-Iran war live updates here.
Another evacuee, Eliya Batool, was overcome with emotion and said she felt at ease after returning to India.
I am unable to express what I am feeling right now. My family was very worried. In Iran, we were at ease; we were provided with a 5-star hotel and safety was provided to us. But after coming here, we feel at ease. Thank you so much, Indian government. We did not face any issues there because our Embassy made everything easy for us
Maulana Mohammad Saeed Saeed also praised the swift and safe evacuation. He said, "We are happy and grateful that we have been able to return home safe and sound. The situation in Iran is no good and we all know. Indian Embassy and our Ambassador made the evacuation process very smooth and safe." 'Kashmiris are thankful': Students thank govt for evacuation efforts
Sehrish Rafique, an MBBS student at Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, highlighted how the situation escalated rapidly. "The situation in Iran was quite devastating. At first, we didn't expect that it would escalate so much. At first, I couldn't believe the Indian Embassy would make so many efforts for us. All Kashmiris are really thankful to the Indian government," she said.
Also Read | Israel warns of 'prolonged war' with Iran as conflict enters ninth day; Donald Trump says Iran only wants US talks
Mir Mohammad Musharraf, from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, also praised the efforts of the Indian government, saying, "I am from Pulwama, Kashmir. Operation Sindhu is amazing and really helpful. The services were very good. We contacted our embassy. We were stuck in Tehran, unaware of what to do. Our landlords also left and were left behind. It was only our embassy that helped us reach here. Thank you so much, Indian government." Operation Sindhu updates
The third flight carrying 290 Indian nationals from Iran, as part of Operation Sindhu, has landed. 190 out of them are from J&K, others are from Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, West Bengal, and other states, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, said.
The special flight landed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport late Friday night, as part of Operation Sindhu, India's ongoing mission to evacuate citizens amid the escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
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