Beirut, March 11 -- India has stepped up assistance to its citizens in West Asia as escalating regional tensions continue to disrupt travel and safety conditions, with dozens of Indians repatriated from Lebanon and hundreds departing from Qatar on commercial flights.

According to the Indian Embassy in Beirut, the first batch of 177 Indian nationals was repatriated to New Delhi on a charter flight arranged by their employer on Wednesday. The group was seen off at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport by India's Ambassador to Lebanon, Noor Rahman Sheikh.

In a post on X, the mission said, "The first batch of 177 Indian nationals, being repatriated to Delhi in a charter flight, arranged by their Company, was seen off by Ambassador Noor ...