Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], June 25 (ANI): In continuation of the Operation Sindhu, the first batch of students, hailing from Odisha, have been evacuated from Israel. They arrived in Odisha's Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening.

The evacuee students have expressed gratitude to the government for their safe evacuation.

Describing the 'scary' situation during the conflict, one of the students stated that he will always remember 'those 10 nights of war.'

Speaking to ANI, Dr Arup Kumar Sahu, an Indian national evacuated from Israel, said, 'It was very scary. We have been travelling for the last 48 hours... Those 10 nights of war will be remembered for the rest of our lives... The central and state governments coordinated properly and ensured a smooth journey for us.'

Preeti Shubadarshini, a student at Tel Aviv University, said, 'The situation in Israel was not extremely good but still its a continuous process. Missiles were fired into Israel even before this war, but this time it was a lot of missiles... 20 per cent of the missiles struck their targets, and the university was closed... The Indian Embassy was in close contact with us, and we knew that if something bad happened, the Indian Embassy would be there to help us.'

Earlier today, the evacuees from Iran lauded the efforts of the government and expressed gratitude for their safe return home.

India, under Operation Sindhu, had successfully evacuated more than 2,500 of its nationals from conflict-hit Iran.

Speaking to ANI, an Indian national, Saiyada Jeniffer Rizvi, described the situation in conflict-hit Iran as 'terrible' and said they could have faced several problems if the Indian Embassy hadn't helped them.

'The condition in Iran was terrible. We would have faced many problems if the Indian embassy had not taken us to the hotels. Spending every moment was difficult. I also had my child with me. Thanks to the people of the embassy and the Modi government for bringing us here...' Rizvi said.

Another evacuated Indian national, Kasim, said, '... I am very happy to be home. The arrangements were very well...'

Syed Mehboob, the evacuee who belongs to Ladakh, expressed his happiness, stating, 'I am from Ladakh. I lived in Qom in Iran. I have reached Delhi with the help of the embassy. I want to thank the embassy... I am very happy.'

Another special flight carrying 281 Indian nationals, three Sri Lankan and two Nepalese nationals stranded in conflict-hit Iran landed safely in New Delhi.

In a post on X, sharing the pictures of the evacuees, the MEA wrote, 'Update: #OperationSindhu MoS @PmargheritaBJP warmly received 281 Indian, 3 Sri Lankan & 2 Nepalese nationals evacuated from Iran. They arrived in New Delhi on a special flight from Mashhad at 1500 hrs on 24 June. 2576 Indian nationals have now been brought home from Iran as part of #OperationSindhu.' (ANI)