Ahmedabad, March 4 (IANS) Passengers arriving from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were warmly received at Terminal 2 of Ahmedabad International Airport on Wednesday. Families and well-wishers gathered at the airport to welcome them home, expressing gratitude to the government for facilitating their safe return amid recent travel disruptions.

Many of the passengers had travelled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah. However, several return flights scheduled for February 28 were cancelled due to escalating tensions linked to the Israel-Iran conflict, leaving families in distress.

A family member of one of the passengers told IANS, “My sister had gone for Umrah. Her return flight on the 28th was cancelled, and she was extremely worried. We appealed to the government for help, and the authorities assisted us in bringing her back safely. It is a moment of great happiness for our family.”

Another relative said, “My son had gone to Mecca for Umrah. His flight was cancelled on February 28. The media and the government helped us a lot. The authorities were very supportive.”

A third family member added, “The last few days were difficult, but we are grateful to the government. Thank you, Modiji.”

On February 28, Tehran was rocked by massive explosions after Israel launched what it described as “preventive” missile strikes against Iran, dramatically escalating tensions in the region, local media reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran deliberately targets civilians while Israel and the United States focus on “mass terrorists”, defending recent military action and praising US President Donald Trump as “resolute”.

Before taking a call on military strikes against Iran, US President Trump had already delivered the same message at least 74 times: Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

The White House said on Monday that President Trump has been “unequivocal and consistent for decades” that Iran will never be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon. It released a compilation of his statements spanning 15 years, beginning in November 2011.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday responded sharply to remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asserting that there was never any “Iranian threat” and blaming what he termed “Israel Firsters” for the bloodshed of both Americans and Iranians.

Rubio had said on Monday (local time) that Washington launched strikes on Iran after learning that its ally Israel was preparing to act and amid concerns that Tehran would retaliate against American forces in the region.

“We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties,” Rubio told reporters.

–IANS

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