Travel will be facilitated via land borders and then by air, the Indian Foreign Ministry has said
India has decided to evacuate all of its citizens “who wish to leave” Israel in light of the military confrontation between the Jewish state and Iran.
On Thursday, the Indian Foreign Ministry called on citizens to register with the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv.
“In view of the recent developments between Israel and Iran, the Government of India has decided to evacuate from Israel those Indian nationals who wish to leave,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a press note. “Their travel from Israel to India will be facilitated through the land borders and thereafter by air to India.”
The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv called on Indians to “remain vigilant and strictly follow the safety guidelines issued by the Israeli authorities and the Home Front Command.”
There are about 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, primarily caregivers employed by elderly Israelis, according to the Indian embassy. The country also hosts diamond traders, IT professionals and students. There are also about 85,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel.
India is also evacuating its citizens from Iran.
According to the Foreign Ministry, 110 students in Tehran were taken overland to neighboring Armenia earlier this week. “The students have travelled by road to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, under the supervision of our Missions in Iran and Armenia,” the ministry said on Wednesday.
The students were flown into India in the early hours of Thursday.
#WATCH | Delhi | “..The situation there (Iran) is bad, and people are scared. The (Indian) government literally evacuated us from our doors; we didn’t even expect this much. They helped us at every step, no one faced any problem, and we are grateful to the central government for… pic.twitter.com/OhiJyM9LHQ
India, which has close and friendly relations with both countries, has called on the two sides to avoid further escalation. “Existing channels of dialogue and diplomacy should be utilised to work towards a de-escalation of the situation and resolving underlying issues,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said within hours of Israel launching its initial strikes on Iran last Friday.
