- Operation Sindhu’ widens scope
- Emergency contact numbers published
Sri Lankan nationals trapped in the war zones in Tehran and other Iranian cities will be repatriated under India’s ‘Operation Sindhu’ after New Delhi agreed to widen the rescue mission to include citizens of Sri Lanka and Nepal.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran confirmed the extension yesterday, publishing emergency hotlines and calling upon those who wish to leave to register with them immediately.
Fewer than 50 Sri Lankans live in Iran at present, with some having left before the hostilities began last week. According to Foreign Affairs Ministry sources, four Sri Lankans have already flown home, three are waiting to cross the border and another four — including three medical students — have already asked to join the Indian airlift. Another student, three Sri Lanka mission staff and their families are on standby. The Embassy operations were moved to a safer location. Amid the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, the Sri Lankan mission in Tehran is co-coordinating with the Indian Embassy to evacuate Sri Lankan citizens from several high risk zones in Tehran which have been repeatedly hit by Israeli missiles.
A spokesman for the Indian Embassy in Iran said yesterday that it has included citizens of Nepal and Sri Lanka in its ‘Operation Sindhu’ evacuation efforts in Iran following requests from the Governments of Sri Lanka and Nepal.
The Sri Lankan citizens including students willing to leave Iran are being provided ground transportation to the Turkish border as part of the coordinated efforts of the Indian High Commission, the Sri Lankan mission and the Iranian Government, said Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Athula Rodrigo.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said yesterday that, so far, 517 Indian nationals have returned to India from Iran under ‘Operation Sindhu’. The hotlines for Nepali, Sri Lankan and Indian nationals in Iran are: +98 90 1014 4557; +98 91 2810 9115 and +98 91 2810 9101.
Jaiswal said that a special flight from Turkmenistan’s Ashgabat carrying Indians from Iran arrived in New Delhi yesterday.
Around 20,000 Sri Lankans live and work in Israel – mostly in agriculture and elder care. One Sri Lankan was injured in an Iranian missile attack. An assessment is being made about possible evacuation of Sri Lankan citizens in Israel with the help of third countries if the conflict worsens with potential US involvement.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel, Nimal Bandara said the Embassy in Tel Aviv remains “fully operational and in constant contact with the community leaders and Israeli authorities”.
Bandara called upon Sri Lankans who went home on vacation but plan to return to Israel to email copies of their passports and re entry visas so that the mission can extend travel authorisations in the event border formalities are tightened.
Airspace over Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria remains closed. Gulf, European, Indian and US airlines have suspended services to Tel Aviv and Tehran, forcing hundreds of diversions. The International Air Transport Association has called airlines to build extra fuel contingencies until missile alerts subside. Fears have also been expressed that oil prices could rise further if the Strait of Hormuz is blocked as the conflict drags on, though the US has declared a two-week window for diplomatic efforts.
