Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday night chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), India’s top decision-making body on security and strategic issues, to review the developing situation in West Asia, PTI reported.
The discussion focused on the fallout from the recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"The prime minister chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)," a source told PTI, without disclosing details of the meeting.
The CCS meeting took place soon after Modi returned to the national capital around 9:30 pm, following his two-day visit to Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, PTI reported.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the meeting. Top officials briefed the committee on the prevailing situation in West Asia and its implications on India, the sources told PTI.
Who attended the Cabinet Committee on Security?
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, principal secretaries to the prime minister, P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also attended the meeting.
It is believed that the meeting discussed the safety of Indian nationals living in West Asia, including those stranded, and how to deal with the situation if it deteriorates, the sources told PTI.
Currently, the airspace of West Asia is almost closed.
With flight services disrupted due to the military escalation in West Asia, hundreds of Indians are stranded in Dubai, Doha and other key airports in the region, with many taking to social media, appealing to the Indian government for assistance.
The meeting is also learnt to have taken stock of the situation arising out of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping route for Indian oil carriers, by the Iranian authorities, the sources told PTI.
Approximately 10,000 Indian citizens reside, study, and work in Iran, while more than 40,000 live in Israel. Overall, around nine million Indians live across the Gulf and West Asia.
In previous crises, India has successfully evacuated thousands of its nationals from conflict zones, including in West Asia.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Indian missions in the region are maintaining constant contact with citizens, and emergency helplines have been activated, PTI reported.
Israel and the United States launched a major attack on Iran early Saturday, killing Supreme Leader Khamenei. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old's death early Sunday.
US President Donald Trump said it gave the Iranians their "greatest chance" to "take back their country".
The heavy, pinpoint bombing would continue through the week or as long as necessary, Trump said.
Iran responded to the assault by firing drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, and also at the global business hub of Dubai.
On Sunday, mourners belonging to the Shia community took to the streets in various parts of India to express outrage and grief over the killing of Khamenei.
