Conflict zone: west Asia

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The Israel-Palestine dispute, one of the longest-running conflicts, dating back to over a century, triggered the latest Gaza war, after Hamas, a Palestinian armed group, struck Israel in 2023. The war continues to intensify with Israel’s recent ground offensive in Gaza.

Encapsulating Israel’s defence prowess is the topmost picture featuring its F-35A Lightning II or F-35I Adir, produced by the United States (US). The fifth-generation, stealthy jet embedded with electronic warfare and weapons systems, has been regularly used by Israel in recent strikes in Gaza and Iran.

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The second picture showcases Israel's Iron Dome, built domestically with US funding, and is one of the most vital components of Israel’s air defence. The system intercepted several missiles during Operation Rising Lion against Iran in June.

The next picture is about the Iranian-made Fajr-5 missile, now used by Iran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah in Middle Eastern conflicts. Counted among the deadliest artillery rocket systems in the world, it can fire up to four 6.48-metre-long rockets, with a range of over 75 kilometres.

The fourth picture displays 22 weapons, including 11 grenades, machine guns, and ammunition owned by Hamas, which were seized by Israel in one of their largest raids this year. 

The last picture highlights Iran’s Shahed-136 drone, boasting precision-strike ability at long ranges. Recently, Iran showcased its upgraded version, Shahed-136B suicide drone.

The armed guerrilla fighters are using conventional and deadly variants of weaponry developed by Russia, China, Iran or North Korea, with smuggled arms entering through Egypt, the Associated Press has reported.

Israel is waging the “world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) war” by developing an arsenal factory using AI and algorithms, data mining tools, and automated target detection systems offering superior military intelligence like the Gospel, Lavender and Where’s Daddy. However, Israel is still massively dependent on foreign stockpiles, with the US being its largest supplier with 66 per cent of share, followed by Germany and Italy, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.