The initial group of Indian students evacuated from Iran touched down in Delhi late Friday night around 11:40 PM, as part of India’s ongoing repatriation mission, Operation Sindhu. The evacuation effort is utilizing special Mahan Air chartered flights from Mashhad, with plans to bring back nearly 1,000 Indian citizens.

Following the arrival of the first flight, another aircraft from Ashgabat is expected to land on Saturday morning at approximately 10 AM, while a third is scheduled for Saturday evening.

"Iranians regard Indians as their own. Although our airspace is currently shut, we are working on creating safe corridors to allow Indian nationals to return home," said Mohammad Javad Hosseini, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Iranian Embassy, during a press interaction.

He confirmed that while the first flight had already landed in Delhi, two more were scheduled for Saturday.

The operation was launched two days ago in response to growing tensions in the region following heightened conflict between Iran and Israel.