123456 Kolkata: Students stranded in Israel hoped for an early exit from the country after Iran escalated strikes on Israel following the US bomber jets striking three nuclear facilities in Iran. The first batch of 160 Indians left Jordan on Sunday. "We are waiting for the next list of evacuees to be published by the Indian embassy in Israel. They are picking up students and other evacuees from different areas and taking them to Jordan," said Sayantan Maiti, a Barrackpore resident who is pursuing research at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.While the first batch reached Jordan by Sunday afternoon, the journey was not bereft of missile threats. The bus had to halt after sirens went off twice. The bus was parked at the nearest public shelter, and the passengers took cover."There were armed forces on the bus, and the driver was skilled in handling emergency situations. But such a situation always breeds fear. There are long stretches with nothing but fields, where there is no possibility of finding a shelter," said Maiti.On Sunday morning, Priyangana Deb from Kolkata, pursuing post-doctoral research at the Medicine and Health Science Faculty of Tel Aviv University, said: "There could be an escalation of offensive by Iran after the US attack. I don't know when my turn will come." Salboni resident Aniruddha Bera, who was initially in two minds about leaving Israel, went to the bus stop on Sunday to see off friends who were picked up from Tel Aviv. "He is a bit tense now after recent developments. We don't think he will be able to get listed before Tuesday," said Asim Bera, his father.Additionally, family members of 100 workers from Nadia are also hoping for their safe return from Israel, where most of them had gone to work as construction workers. According to sources, at least 30 workers from Lalbazar in Betai are currently in Israel. "My sons Sanjib and Sujit are working in Israel. They said missile alerts went off suddenly, and they rushed to shelters. For some days, they have practically been living inside bunkers," said Goshto Charan Biswas, a resident of Betai.