PM Modi to chair CCS meeting tonight; West Asia situation, stranded Indians likely to figure

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the highest decision-making body on security and strategic matters of the country, in Delhi on Sunday night, government sources said.

The meeting is understood to have been convened in the wake of the prevailing West Asia situation following the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel and the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"The prime minister will chair a meeting of the CCS on returning to Delhi tonight from his two-day tour of the states. He is expected to land here at around 9.30 pm," a source said. Modi had visited Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the two-day tour.

The prime minister heads the CCS while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are its members.

A few top officials are also usually invited to the CCS meeting.

The meeting is likely to discuss the safety of Indian nationals who live in West Asia and also those who are stranded, and how to deal with the situation if it deteriorates, the sources said.

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 and other key hub airports, with many of them taking to social media to appeal to the Indian government for assistance.

There are around 10,000 Indian citizens who live, study and work in Iran, while over 40,000 live in Israel. The number of Indians who live in the Gulf and West Asia is about nine million.

India has in the past successfully evacuated thousands of Indians from different parts of the world, including West Asia, amidst conflicts.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Indian missions across the region are in continuous contact with nationals, and helplines have been activated.

The CCS meeting may also take stock of the situation arising out of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major shipping route for Indian ships like bulk oil carriers, by the Iranian authorities, sources said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the United States. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old's death early Sunday.

The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment from Saturday that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.

US President Donald Trump said it gave the Iranians their greatest chance to take back their country. Trump said the heavy and pinpoint bombing was to continue through the week or as long as necessary.

Iran responded to the assault by firing drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, 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.

In Pakistan, at least 10 people were killed and several were injured on Sunday after clashes broke out between police and protesters as they tried to storm the gates of the US Consulate in the port city of Karachi. PTI ACB RT RT