Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty declined in early trade on Thursday in line with weak trends from global markets as the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict continues to weigh on investors' sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 253.62 points to 81,191.04 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 73.95 points to 24,738.10.

However, later, both the benchmark indices faced heavy volatility and were trading flat. The BSE benchmark traded 39.09 points higher at 81,483.75, and the Nifty quoted 22.70 points up at 24,835.70.