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The Star
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
India-Pakistan: conflict with no clear winner
PARIS: A ceasefire between India and Pakistan has calmed fears of all-out war and despite conflicting claims, experts say no clear victor emerged in the brief conflict between the nuclear-armed foes. - No clear winner - Both South Asian countries claim to have achieved their goals in their worst conflict since 1999, without admitting significant losses. Four days of intense fighting began last Wednesday (May 7) when India launched strikes against what it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan. India claims Pakistan backs the militants it says were behind an April attack in which 26 people were killed in Indian-administered Kashmir -- a charge Islamabad denies. "If victory is defined by who lost the most manned aircraft, then India certainly lost this one," said Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie think tank. "But India also succeeded in effectively interdicting a range of Pakistani surface targets and imposing significant costs on Pakistan," Tellis told AFP. "Both sides continue to claim air-to-air kills, but clear evidence remains unavailable at the time of writing," said Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo. "What stands out is the extensive use of conventional long-range strike systems by both sides to target military infrastructure deep within enemy territory, including sites near their capitals," he added. - Nuclear powers - While slow to begin with, the international community, including the United States, eventually intervened, alarmed by the possibility of further escalation. Hoffmann said the bitter foes showed little restraint despite the absence of "deliberate strikes on critical civilian infrastructure". "Any shift in that direction would... potentially bring the conflict closer to the threshold of nuclear use," said Hoffmann. The global trend towards violence, especially by states facing internal turmoil, demands greater international vigilance, according to Tellis. The fact that both countries are nuclear powers "makes the conventional balances all the more important. But the fact remains that neither side has a decisive conventional edge in a short war," said Tellis. - Drones on the frontline - Like other modern conflicts, this one confirmed the "widespread" use of drones for warfare, according to Oishee Majumdar from British intelligence firm Janes. Israel Aerospace Industries' exploding drones Harop and Harpy, as well as reconnaissance drone Heron were used by India, Majumdar told AFP. According to specialist site Military Balance, India also deployed Indian drones Nishant and Drishti. Indian media said New Delhi also used French SCALP and Indian BrahMos cruise missiles, and AASM Hammer bombs developed by France's Safran. The Pakistani army used Songar drones developed by Turkey's Asisguard, according to Janes. Military Balance said Islamabad was also armed with Chinese combat and reconnaissance drones -- CH-3 and CH-4, Wing Loong -- and Turkey's Akinci and TB2 drones. - Chinese neutrality? - At the start of the conflict, China urged restraint from both sides and promised to play a "constructive role". But experts say Beijing has clearly picked a side. China said it considered Pakistan an "ironclad friend" and that it "understands Pakistan's legitimate security concerns", said Chietigj Bajpaee from think tank Chatham House. Bajpaee also said that "over 80 percent of Pakistan's arms imports over the last five years have come from China". "Beijing supplies Islamabad with key systems" including the HQ-9/P surface-to-air missile system, the LY-80 medium-range air defence and FM-90 defence systems, said John Spencer, an ex-US army officer and researcher at the Modern War Institute. But Islamabad's "reliance on Chinese exports has created a brittle illusion of strength", said Spencer, adding that the systems are "designed to provide layered protection" but "failed" against India's strikes last week. - Rafale jet claims - Pakistan claims to have shot down five Indian fighter jets, including three advanced French Rafale aircraft, all of which were in Indian airspace at the time. India has not disclosed any losses. Rafale maker Dassault did not comment. According to a European military source, it is "very unlikely" that three Rafales were destroyed, but "credible" that at least one was. Analysts suggest that Indian aircraft were shot down by a Chinese air-to-air missile, the PL-15E, with a range of 145 kilometres (90 miles) in the version acquired by Islamabad, and whose debris was found in Indian territory. "India lost at least one Rafale to a Pakistani J-10C firing a PL-15 air-to-air missile in an ultra-long-range air engagement," said Carnegie's Tellis. This type of missile can target a position while remaining undetected "until its own radar is activated a few dozen kilometres away, or a few seconds" from its target, according to a French fighter pilot interviewed by AFP. "You can't escape it". - AFP
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
As Israel plans Gaza 'conquest', how strong is its army?
5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by Live Events Israel's military has called up tens of thousands of reservists for its planned expanded offensive in Gaza, which an official said entails the "conquest" of the Palestinian one of the best equipped armies in the world, what forces are available to Israel?A large part of the adult population has completed military service and they are required to remain reservists until at least the age of 41, depending on rank and branch of it is not compulsory for reservists to respond to the army has 169,500 soldiers, both conscripts and professionals, according to the Military Balance annual report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).It also has 465,000 January 2024, 295,000 reservists and 45,000 volunteers joined to take part in the war triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to the latest available army General Rami Abudraham , head of planning for ground forces, told a parliamentary committee on Monday that the voluntary mobilisation rate for reservists is more than 75 percent."It's more than a miracle... after a year and a half of war," he to the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES), Israel's army has 12 ground divisions and five independent brigades -- such as paratroopers or Israeli army division has between 13,000 and 20,000 troops and a brigade between 3,000 and 7,000, according to Air Force has 316 combat aircraft, including 175 that can operate within a radius of more than 1,000 kilometres, according to the comparison, Britain's Royal Air Force has 146 fighter IISS also says that Israel has five submarines, seven small warships known as corvettes and 42 patrol boats, including eight able to fire has never confirmed or denied that it has nuclear weapons, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) it has 90 nuclear warheads.- No shortage of soldiers -Since the Hamas attack in October 2023, Israel has operated on several fronts outside include the West Bank, a separate Palestinian territory which Israel has occupied since 1967, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen from where Iran-backed Huthi rebels have launched missile and drone attacks, and Iran itself, which directly attacked Israel twice in Lebanon, a November ceasefire agreement ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Tehran-backed militant group Israel has maintained several positions in south Lebanon and continues to carry out deadly strikes inside the Islamist-led forces ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against military targets there has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights -- much of which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with has responded with several retaliatory strikes."There is no problem with a shortage of soldiers," former brigadier general Yossi Kuperwasser, an expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), told said operations in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen do not currently require the mobilisation of reserve forces."On most fronts, the army does not need to mobilise many men and there are enough soldiers and reservists for the upcoming operation in Gaza," he added.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As Israel plans Gaza 'conquest', how strong is its army?
Israel's military has called up tens of thousands of reservists for its planned expanded offensive in Gaza, which an official said entails the "conquest" of the Palestinian territory. With one of the best equipped armies in the world, what forces are available to Israel? A large part of the adult population has completed military service and they are required to remain reservists until at least the age of 41, depending on rank and branch of service. But it is not compulsory for reservists to respond to the call-up. Israel's army has 169,500 soldiers, both conscripts and professionals, according to the Military Balance annual report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). It also has 465,000 reservists. In January 2024, 295,000 reservists and 45,000 volunteers joined to take part in the war triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to the latest available army figures. Brigadier General Rami Abudraham, head of planning for ground forces, told a parliamentary committee on Monday that the voluntary mobilisation rate for reservists is more than 75 percent. "It's more than a miracle... after a year and a half of war," he said. According to the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES), Israel's army has 12 ground divisions and five independent brigades -- such as paratroopers or commandos. An Israeli army division has between 13,000 and 20,000 troops and a brigade between 3,000 and 7,000, according to experts. Israel's Air Force has 316 combat aircraft, including 175 that can operate within a radius of more than 1,000 kilometres, according to the IISS. By comparison, Britain's Royal Air Force has 146 fighter jets. The IISS also says that Israel has five submarines, seven small warships known as corvettes and 42 patrol boats, including eight able to fire missiles. Israel has never confirmed or denied that it has nuclear weapons, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) it has 90 nuclear warheads. - No shortage of soldiers - Since the Hamas attack in October 2023, Israel has operated on several fronts outside Gaza. These include the West Bank, a separate Palestinian territory which Israel has occupied since 1967, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen from where Iran-backed Huthi rebels have launched missile and drone attacks, and Iran itself, which directly attacked Israel twice in 2024. In Lebanon, a November ceasefire agreement ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah. But Israel has maintained several positions in south Lebanon and continues to carry out deadly strikes inside the country. Since Islamist-led forces ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against military targets there also. It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights -- much of which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 war. The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Israel has responded with several retaliatory strikes. "There is no problem with a shortage of soldiers," former brigadier general Yossi Kuperwasser, an expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), told AFP. He said operations in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen do not currently require the mobilisation of reserve forces. "On most fronts, the army does not need to mobilise many men and there are enough soldiers and reservists for the upcoming operation in Gaza," he added. mib-acc/csp/srm
France 24
06-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
As Israel plans Gaza 'conquest', how strong is its army?
With one of the best equipped armies in the world, what forces are available to Israel? A large part of the adult population has completed military service and they are required to remain reservists until at least the age of 41, depending on rank and branch of service. But it is not compulsory for reservists to respond to the call-up. Israel's army has 169,500 soldiers, both conscripts and professionals, according to the Military Balance annual report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). It also has 465,000 reservists. In January 2024, 295,000 reservists and 45,000 volunteers joined to take part in the war triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, according to the latest available army figures. Brigadier General Rami Abudraham, head of planning for ground forces, told a parliamentary committee on Monday that the voluntary mobilisation rate for reservists is more than 75 percent. "It's more than a miracle... after a year and a half of war," he said. According to the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies (FMES), Israel's army has 12 ground divisions and five independent brigades -- such as paratroopers or commandos. An Israeli army division has between 13,000 and 20,000 troops and a brigade between 3,000 and 7,000, according to experts. Israel's Air Force has 316 combat aircraft, including 175 that can operate within a radius of more than 1,000 kilometres, according to the IISS. By comparison, Britain's Royal Air Force has 146 fighter jets. The IISS also says that Israel has five submarines, seven small warships known as corvettes and 42 patrol boats, including eight able to fire missiles. Israel has never confirmed or denied that it has nuclear weapons, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) it has 90 nuclear warheads. No shortage of soldiers Since the Hamas attack in October 2023, Israel has operated on several fronts outside Gaza. These include the West Bank, a separate Palestinian territory which Israel has occupied since 1967, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen from where Iran-backed Huthi rebels have launched missile and drone attacks, and Iran itself, which directly attacked Israel twice in 2024. In Lebanon, a November ceasefire agreement ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah. But Israel has maintained several positions in south Lebanon and continues to carry out deadly strikes inside the country. Since Islamist-led forces ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in December, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against military targets there also. It has also sent troops into the demilitarised buffer zone in the Golan Heights -- much of which Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 war. The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, have launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. Israel has responded with several retaliatory strikes. "There is no problem with a shortage of soldiers," former brigadier general Yossi Kuperwasser, an expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), told AFP. He said operations in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen do not currently require the mobilisation of reserve forces. © 2025 AFP
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Faced with Russia, EU's defence must include Turkey
Turkey, with NATO's second-largest army and a Black Sea coastline, is looking to play a key role in Europe's security after Washington's pivot away from the region. After two rounds of crisis talks on Ukraine and security following Washington's change of policy, Ankara has been quick to warn that European defences cannot be ensured without its involvement. "It is inconceivable to establish European security without Turkey," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after Sunday's London summit. Without Turkey, "it is becoming increasingly impossible for Europe to continue its role as a global actor", he added. A senior Turkish defence ministry returned to the issue on Thursday. "With the security parameters being reshaped due to recent developments, it is impossible to ensure European security without Turkey," he said. Even so, he said Turkey would be ready to deploy troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping mission "if deemed necessary". Ankara has consistently defended Ukraine's territorial integrity since Russia's 2022 invasion and supplied it with combat drones and naval vessels. But it has also maintained good ties with Russia and remains the only NATO member not to have joined the sanctions against Moscow. - A growing defence industry - With its unique position between the two warring parties, Turkey has repeatedly offered to host peace talks. Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan have often received visitors such as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. In recent years, Turkey has considerably developed its defence industries, with exports growing by 29 percent to reach $7.1 billion in 2024, placing it 11th in global defence exports, Erdogan said in January. Driving its success are the Bayraktar TB2 drones which have been sold to more than 25 nations, among them Poland and Romania, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies' Military Balance survey. "Sales to European countries, particularly EU members, add credibility to Turkey's argument it is an important player in European security," said IISS expert Tom Waldyn. Its military, strategically located on the eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance and south of the Black Sea -- to which it controls access via the Bosphorus -- counts 373,200 active troops and another 378,700 reservists, IISS figures show. And these troops have been engaged in regular combat in northeastern Syria and northern Iraq fighting Kurdish insurgents, according to a Western diplomat. - 'Reshaping the balance of power' - "Turkey has maintained a consistent attitude in line with the UN Charter on the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine, he told AFP. "It has the second largest military in NATO but also the most effective as it's been in combat for decades," he explained. But EU cooperation with Ankara has been hampered by the Cyprus dispute, he said with a trace of exasperation. "How long can we afford to continue this stance?" For Nebahat Tanriverdi Yasar, an independent researcher and policy analyst who works in Ankara and Berlin, Turkey's careful management of its ties with both Kyiv and Moscow has left it in a unique position. "Turkey aims to carefully navigate its relations with Russia and its strategic defence support to Ukraine -- potentially with EU backing -- to reshape the balance of power in the region amid the emergence of a 'new order' where the EU seeks to assume greater responsibility for its security amid shifting US policies," she told AFP. Given the challenges that entailed, Ankara was "likely to pursue a pragmatic approach in the short term, focusing on expanding its mediation efforts, deepening defence cooperation with select European states, and leveraging its defence industry to address emerging gaps in military support," she added. But Sumbul Kaya, a political scientist in France argued that Turkey was "above all, driven by a desire to defend its own interests. "It only intervenes in neighbouring countries for internal security reasons, such as in Syria and Iraq," she said. "But there's no question of sending troops to fight wars everywhere -- that would not go down well with the population. "This crisis is an opportunity to stress that Turkey is both a NATO member and a candidate for membership in the EU." ach/hmw/jj
