At least 75 Indians have been evacuated from war-torn Syria where the rebels have toppled the Bashar al-Assad government and are set to form a government on their own. The Indian nationals have safely crossed to Lebanon and will return by commercial flights to India, the External Affairs Ministry said late last night.
There have been requests from Indian nationals in Syria and an assessment of the security situation was done, after which the evacuation was coordinated by the Indian embassies in Damascus and Beirut, the ministry said.
The government has advised Indians still in Syria to stay in touch with the embassy in Damascus via the helpline number +963 993385973, also on WhatsApp, and email ID hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in.
The development comes after rebel forces, led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, captured capital Damascus and declared a new era. Assad, an ally of the Kremlin, fled to Russia before the rebels breached his palace and has reportedly been granted asylum there.
