The Indian embassy in Iran on Monday advised Indian citizens to leave the country “by available means” amid fresh strikes by Israel.

The embassy also reiterated its earlier advice that Indians should not travel to Iran.

The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel within Israel and asked them to exercise caution, monitor local news and official announcements.

It also said that it was strongly advising Indians to “strictly adhere to the safety guidelines and instructions” issued by the Israeli authorities.

The statements by the Indian diplomatic missions came amid a second round of strikes in Iran on Monday.

A large blast was heard in central Tehran, AFP reported. It was followed by repeated explosions, which the news agency said were believed to be from Iranian air defence systems in the capital.

The Iranian military claimed that it had “shot down a hostile enemy drone” over Tehran, state-run news agency Mehr reported.

The Mehrabad airport in Tehran and the Kermanshah airport cancelled all flights “until further notice”, Al Jazeera reported.

Hours after the second round of strikes, United States President Donald Trump said that Israel and Iran “must immediately stop ‘shooting’”.

About an hour later, he said that both sides were “looking to do an immediate ceasefire”.

The US president said that final negotiations were “proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way”. The blockade of Iranian ports imposed by the US military will continue until a final deal is reached, he said, adding that “things should move quickly”.

Earlier in the day, Israel said that it had struck military targets in western and central Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s missile strike on the country. This was the first bombardment since a ceasefire took effect on April 8.

The strikes came despite reports that United States President Donald Trump had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from further attacks.

Hours earlier, Trump had said that new strikes by Israel and Iran would not affect his administration’s peace talks with Tehran, adding that Netanyahu “does not call the shots”, Reuters reported.

Tehran had warned of retaliation after Israel struck the southern suburbs of Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday despite Washington’s recent calls for restraint, AP reported. Tel Aviv claimed that the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had fired at northern Israel earlier in the day.

Israel also said that it intercepted a missile launched from the direction of Yemen towards its territory, Al Jazeera reported.

Israel’s strike on Beirut came days after Israel and Lebanon agreed on June 3 to renew a ceasefire and continue negotiations for a broader peace agreement amid tensions in West Asia, the two countries said in a joint statement issued with the US.

However, Hezbollah had rejected the deal. The group is not part of the Lebanese government and was not a participant in the negotiations.

The US and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, claiming that Tehran’s action posed an existential threat to Israel. Washington acts as a guarantor of Israel’s security. Iran retaliated by striking Israel and US military bases in the region, targeting major cities in Gulf countries and ships.

Tehran also effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterbody connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea, for most international commercial vessels, triggering a global energy crisis.

The peace talks between Iran and the US that were held in Islamabad, Pakistan, collapsed on April 12, but the ceasefire in the region had largely held until now.

Written by Nachiket Deuskar. Edited by Sneha.