India’s drone strike in Pakistan spotlights Israel’s role in South Asian conflict
As Israeli-made weapons shape battlefield, questions emerge about arms exports, alliances and diplomatic fallout
India’s deployment of Israeli-manufactured drones in its latest cross-border strikes against Pakistan has drawn global attention, not just for the tactical implications, but for what it signals about the strategic depth of India’s evolving alliance with Israel.
On Thursday, Pakistan’s military claimed it had downed 25 Indian drones — identified as Harop loitering munitions produced by Israel Aerospace Industries — after they allegedly violated its airspace.
The drones reportedly targeted sites across major cities, including Karachi and Lahore, following Indian missile strikes a day earlier on what New Delhi described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Punjab. Those strikes were in retaliation for an April terror attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir that killed 24 tourists.
India’s use of Israeli drone platforms in this operation reflects an alliance that has matured over the decades.
Dr. Oshrit Birvadker, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) and an expert in India-Middle East relations, told The Times of Israel that the deployment of Harop and Heron Mark-2 drones in this strike illustrates how “Israel plays a significant and growing role in India’s current military strategy, particularly in light of escalations with Pakistan and the broader counterterrorism context.”
She noted that “India is the biggest international buyer of defense systems from Israel Aerospace Industries” and that the advanced drones have “significantly expanded [India’s] high-altitude surveillance and strike capability.”
Tactical capability, strategic messaging
According to IAI’s website, its loitering munitions are designed to provide flexible, rapid-response capabilities across a range of operational scenarios — from short-range missions to deep-strike engagements — while delivering real-time intelligence-gathering and precision strike potential.
These features make them particularly effective in unpredictable and complex combat environments, including densely populated urban areas like Karachi and Lahore.
Birvadker explained that while Israeli arms exports to India, including advanced systems like suicide drones, are “transactional in nature,” they also carry “implicit political and strategic weight.”
“From Israel’s perspective, India is not only a key market but also a strategic partner that shares common concerns over terrorism, border security, and Islamic extremism. Both countries often frame their cooperation as part of a broader struggle against radical threats,” she added.
While Israel avoids making explicit political endorsements in South Asian conflicts, its consistent arms supply has been widely interpreted as quiet support for India’s regional posture, especially against common adversaries such as Pakistan and, increasingly, China.
“This balancing act allows Israel to maintain its lucrative defense ties with India while limiting diplomatic fallout elsewhere,” Birvadker said.
Growing scrutiny
As the India-Pakistan confrontation unfolds, Birvadker believes that Israel’s role — albeit indirect — will not go unnoticed.
Israel does not have formal diplomatic ties with Pakistan, and as Birvadker noted, its “standing in the Muslim world is already among the lowest compared to any other country.”
While not anticipating any direct impact, she warned that “we will likely see more radical groups attempting to exploit the situation, drawing comparisons to ‘genocide’ and ‘occupation’ in light of India’s actions and Israel’s indirect involvement.”
Such narratives, she explained, have long been present in parts of Kashmir, where conspiracy theories link “Hinduism and Judaism as working together to eliminate Islam.” In popular Muslim jargon, it is called the “Yahud-o-Hanud ki sazish,” or Jewish-Hindu conspiracy.
Beyond political optics, international attention is turning to the issue of arms sales to conflict zones.
“There is a strong likelihood that international scrutiny will intensify regarding the sale of advanced military technology to countries engaged in ongoing regional conflicts,” Birvadker said.
With rising global focus on human rights and de-escalation, she noted, governments and defense firms may face pressure to justify arms exports, particularly precision weapons and surveillance tools used in volatile areas.
An enduring alliance
Still, Birvadker sees the India-Israel partnership as resilient: “Strong alliances endure even in difficult times and under pressure, and I believe the India-Israel relationship is a prime example of that.”
She pointed out that during Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on the country, “while several European countries and traditional allies of Israel delayed arms shipments, India stood firmly by its side, even at the cost of diplomatic risk and international criticism.”
With India being the world’s largest arms importer and Israel its fourth-largest supplier, the stakes of this relationship are high. The Indian defense market represents not just economic opportunity but geopolitical alignment for Israel.
“Given the critical role Israeli defense industries play in India,” Birvadker said, “any concerns over this relationship are unlikely to disrupt it; on the contrary, such concerns may actually deepen and expand defense trade between New Delhi and Jerusalem.”
The Times of Israel Community.