Israel backed India’s attack on Pakistan with advanced weaponry, Netanyahu confirms

Israel’s involvement in supporting India during the four-day conflict with Pakistan in May has been confirmed after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israeli-made weapons, including drones and missiles, were provided to New Delhi.

Netanyahu recently met with India’s Ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, in Jerusalem and also held discussions with a group of Indian journalists.

In a post on X, accompanied by pictures of the meeting, the Israeli leader said both sides discussed “strengthening and expanding cooperation between Israel and India, particularly in the fields of security and economics.”

According to Indian media, including NDTV, Netanyahu confirmed that India deployed Israeli HARPY drones and Barak-8 missiles during its strikes on Pakistan, which India claimed targeted terrorist hideouts.

Praising the performance of Israeli weapons, Netanyahu reportedly said,  “The things we provided before worked very well on the field… we develop our weapons in the field and they are battle-tested. They worked fine and we have a pretty solid foundation.”

Also check: India uses Israeli Harop drones in cross-border strikes against Pakistan

Several Indian outlets also reported comments by Kobbi Shoshani, the Israeli Consul General in Mumbai, who lauded “Operation Sindoor” as “an act of self-defence” and expressed pride in the operation.

Pakistani authorities reported that Israeli-made loitering munitions, known as Harop drones, were spotted at multiple locations in the country after India launched them into Pakistani territory. 

According to officials, security forces intercepted and shot down 77 such drones across several cities on May 9.

India, already the largest importer of Israeli arms, has purchased military equipment worth an estimated $2.9 billion from Israel over the past decade.

The conflict erupted after India accused Pakistan of involvement in an April 22 attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). On May 7, tensions escalated into open hostilities when India launched strikes across the border into Pakistan.

 In response, Pakistan’s military retaliated, shooting down six Indian aircraft, including three Rafale fighter jets, losses India has yet to officially acknowledge.

Read: UK-built engines found in Israeli drones used by India in Pakistan

The brief but intense conflict saw the use of fighter jets, drones, and heavy artillery from both sides, resulting in substantial Indian losses on military airbases, S-400 defence system. Eventually, India sought US intervention and signaled willingness for a ceasefire.

President Trump has taken credit for mediating the ceasefire, claiming that his communication with the leadership of both nations led to the de-escalation. According to Trump, a truce was reached on May 10 after he warned both countries that the US would halt trade relations if they did not agree to cease hostilities.