Israel-Iran conflict, June 13 -- Indian benchmark equity indices tumbled in early trading on Friday, tracking steep declines in Asian markets following Israel's military strikes on Iran, which intensified geopolitical tensions in the oil-rich Middle East.

The Sensex began the session at 80,427.81, down from its previous close of 81,691.98, and plunged over 1,300 points, or 1.6%, reaching an intraday low of 80,354.59. Similarly, the Nifty opened at 24,473, compared to its prior close of 24,888.20, and tumbled 1.7% to hit an intraday low of 24,473.

Among the sectors, Nifty Oil & Gas emerged as the biggest loser, sliding 1.6% due to significant declines in stocks like Mahanagar Gas, IGL, BPCL, and IOC. Other indices including Nifty Bank, I...