India enter into Israeli-Palestine Conflict by Deploying 3 Warships to Counter Attacks Pro-Palestine Houhtis in Arabian Sea
Saturday 23rd December drone attack on Liberian-flagged MV Chem Pluto Japanese owned oil-carrier vessel came amid increasing concerns over various commercial vessels being targeted reportedly by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Navy also deployed P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance in view of spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea by Pro-Palestine Houhtis. This is an official announcement by Indian to enter into Israeli led war on Gaza whether it is directly sending her military in aid of Israelis defeating armies in Gaza by Hamas or sending a naval offensive long range patrol aircrafts frigates into Arabian seas under the pretext of surveillance of maritime vessels.
US accused Iran for maritime attack:
A Pentagon spokesperson said on Sunday that MV Chem Pluto was hit by "a one-way attack drone fired from Iran".
The United States claimed that the December 23 strike on MV Chem Pluto in the Indian Ocean was “fired from Iran”, an accusation that Tehran has dismissed as baseless.
The attack came as a US-led task force sought to counter similar threats to maritime shipping in the Red Sea posed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.
How US has drawn India into Israeli-Palestine Conflict.
A serious question can be raised here as this was not a US self-staged attacked on Indian interest vessel carry oil supply to India from Al-Jubail port of Saudi Arabia to draw India into the conflict to support US-semi bankrupt Naval offensive fleets in Arabia Gulf certainly US is looking for regional support to buffer its operation against Houhtis.
India is also one of the Israelis allies in War on Gaza and a one of the biggest Israelis military hardware importer and spending over 5 billion US dollars per year in purchases. The Indian deployment of its offensive frigates into Arabia Sea serve two purposes, one is to solidify her alliance with US as ally that US can count on in trying times and secondly galvanized her relationship with State of Israeli as a partner in crime against humanity.
What the Pluto was carrying:
MV Chem Pluto, carrying crude oil to New Mangalore port of India from Al Jubail port in Saudi Arabia, was struck about 217 nautical miles from Porbandar on Saturday. No one was injured in the incident. A Gabon-flagged commercial crude oil tanker with 25 Indian crew members also came under a drone attack in the Southern Red Sea on Saturday but no one was injured, according to Indian officials and the US military.
Amid the uptick in maritime strikes, this was the first that the US has sought to directly pin on Iran. It was also the first on a vessel outside the Red Sea. It is new dynamics of geopolitical and US geostrategic military maneuvering in the Israeli-Palestine conflicts. US with is ailing economy and next year elections where Biden looking ever so week as to re-run for Whitehouse US definitely cannot afford tactically to get directly involved into the current conflict in Gaza but would try her best to draw her allies in to the conflict. Anny allies get in involved into the conflict need to be ready for backlash from Muslim community and as well as the regional powers including UAE and Iran.
Due to the currency of the ongoing- three month old war between Israeli-Hamas led guerrillas can see that militarization is increasing, not only in the Red Sea, but also in the Arabian Peninsula.
Israel and Indian arms deal collaboration:
Israel and India trade some $5 billion annually, with the majority of the deals in arms and blood diamonds. Last April, Israel and India also signed a military deal worth nearly $2 billion which includes the supply over several years of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and communications technology.India, which has longstanding territorial disputes with neighbors China and Pakistan, has signed several big-ticket defense deals since Modi came to power in 2014. In November 2018, the Indian Air Force and Special Forces also took part in the Israeli Blue Flag air exercise, in what was seen as a sign of strengthening ties between New Delhi and Jerusalem. In June, a month before Modi’s visit, India helped sponsor the renowned Israeli Defense Expo in Tel Aviv and in May, three Indian Navy ships docked in Haifa for an official visit, marking 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countiesNetanyahu says $500m Israel-India arms deal back on the table. A massive missile deal between India and Israeli defense contractor Rafael is back on the table, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday, as he wrapped up his third day of a state visit to the subcontinent that sought to foster closer economic ties.
Netanyahu’s visit came shortly after Rafael Advanced Defense Systems had confirmed that Delhi backed away from a $500 million agreement to purchase Spike anti-tank missiles, casting a cloud over the trip.
“They are reauthorizing the Spike deal,” Netanyahu said as his plane took off for Mumbai from Ahmadebad, where he spent the day with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
Israel has sold radar and surveillance systems as well as electronic components for military aircraft and has helped India defend itself through training in counterterrorism methods. In November 2011, India’s elite Cobra Commando unit bought more than 1,000 units of the Israeli X-95 assault rifle to use in counterinsurgency operations. Also in 2011, India placed orders for four advanced Israeli Phalcon AWACS planes (airborne warning and control systems) which are capable of detecting hostile aircraft, cruise missiles, and other incoming aerial threats far before ground-based radars.
In January 2012, India and Israel stepped up their counter-terrorism coordination strategy in the wake of Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s visit to the Jewish state. While in Israel, Krishna met with top Israeli government and defense leaders and agreed to work to boost their counter-terrorism cooperation. The two countries also signed an Extradition Treaty and a pact on the Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners.
During a July 2014 visit to Tel Aviv, Indian Defense Secretary Radha Krishna Mathur outlined his goals for Indo-Israeli defense cooperation. The Indian government requested an unspecified number of Sword Fish ground radar trackers, precision-guided artillery, unspecified missiles, and two AWACS units (in addition to the four ordered in 2005). Mathur was especially interested in the delivery of long-range anti-missile defense batteries for deployment aboard Indian naval ships. The project was announced in 2005, and originally scheduled for delivery in 2012. Israeli and Indian government officials signed an intelligence-sharing agreement in July 2014, hoping to fight radical Islamic extremism in the region together.
Israel Aerospace Industries successfully tested a jointly developed Indian-Israeli Barak 8 air and naval defense missile system on November 10, 2014. The missile test was carried out by Israel’s Defense Ministry and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and represents the first full successful test of the missile. A top advisor to India’s defense minister hailed the test as “an important milestone in the cooperation between India and Israel.”
India-Israel cooperation increased dramatically in 2014 with the election of India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Between Modi’s election in May 2014 and November 2014, Israel exported $662 million worth of Israeli weapons and defense items to India. This export number is greater than the total Israeli exports to India during the previous three years combined. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon made the first ever official visit of an Israeli Defense Minister to India in February 2015. While in India, Ya’alon, along with many other top Israeli defense officials, attended the Aero India arms exhibition in Bangalore. The purpose of Ya’alon’s trip was to increase interaction and cooperation between defense industries in Israel and India. Photos surfaced online the following day of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi standing at the Israel Aerospace Industries booth at the exhibition, in a public display of Israel and India’s strategic relationship.
Israel Aerospace Industries successfully tested a jointly developed Indian-Israeli Barak 8 air and naval defense missile system on November 10, 2014. The missile test was carried out by Israel’s Defense Ministry and India’s Defense Research and Development Organization and represents the first full successful test of the missile. A top advisor to India’s defense minister hailed the test as “an important milestone in the cooperation between India and Israel.”
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Indian state-owned Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) began collaborating on a jointly developed surface-to-air missile system for the Indian Army in 2015. Indian officials purchased 321 launchers and 8,356 missiles from the Israeli military in 2015. India uses Israel-made unmanned drones for surveillance and military purposes and ordered 16 drones in 2015.
The government of India quietly approved the purchase of 10 armored Heron TP drone vehicles from Israel on September 11, 2015, at a price of $400 million. These drones will help secure India’s borders and will be operated by members of India’s air force. An original proposal for the purchase was presented in 2012, but the program did not receive political backing until 2015.
The Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missile, developed jointly between India and Israel, was successfully tested on December 30, 2015. The test of the missile system, which cost the Indian government approximately $1.4 billion, was carried out on the Indian warship INS Kolkata. India again successfully tested the Barak 8 on June 30, 2016. An Indian defense official praised the test, stating “the test launch was a grand success and it met all the targets.” The Barak 8 was developed by India’s Defense Research and Development Organization in collaboration with Israel Aerospace Industries and can be launched from a ship or from land. Another successful test of the Barak 8 missile was carried out on September 20, 2016, at the Chandipur research and development base in Odisha, on the Bay of Bengal.
Indian firm Reliance Defense and Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a cooperative agreement worth an estimated $10 billion at Defexpo India on March 30, 2016. Per the agreement, Rafael and Reliance will cooperatively produce air-to-air missiles, various missile defense systems, and surveillance balloons for the Indian military. The undertaking is projected to provide employment for 3,000 Indians at a facility in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The Indian Navy launched a new, Israeli-developed Integrated Under Water Harbor Defense and Surveillance System (IUHDSS), in February 2017. The system will enhance the security of above and below-water vehicles operated by the Indian Navy in the Mumbai Naval Harbor.
In October 2014 India and Israel reached a deal for India to purchase 8,356 Spike anti-tank guided missiles and 321 missile launchers developed by Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. This contract was deferred prior to its signature, however, due to costs and vendor issues. The Indian Ministry of Defense announced in March 2017 that the contract, worth approximately $1 billion, would finally be moving forward.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced in April 2017 that it had struck a deal with India’s Army and Navy to supply them with an advanced air defense system worth upwards of $2 billion. The deal was described by IAI as Israel’s largest ever defense deal.
On May 10, 2017, three warships from the Indian navy docked in the port of Haifa, ahead of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit during the summer. The ships, the INS Mumbai, the INS Trisula, and the INS Aditya, participated in a Naval drill with the Israeli navy when they entered the port. This is the eighth time that Indian ships have docked at an Israeli port, the first being in 2000.
The Indian military carried out their first successful tests of the Israeli-made Surface-to-air Python and Derby missile system (SPYDER) on May 11, 2017. The launch of the SPYDER system went off without a hitch, and all three missiles that were launched hit their targets. Python and Derby missiles comprise the SPYDER system, which also features an onboard radar for increased accuracy. The system, which is made for low-altitude missile strikes, has a range of 15km.
A new partnership between Indian security firm Punj Lloyd and Israel Weapons Industries, known as Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems, or PLR, was announced in May 2017. The firm produces small-arms from the Israel Weapons Industries product line and is the first private small-arms manufacturer in India to produce equipment for both local and export use. Ashok Wadhawan, the president of manufacturing at Punj Lloyd, explained that the joint venture aims to supply carbines, assault rifles, sniper rifles and light machine guns for armed forces, paramilitary forces, and state police.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security service recruited 30 dogs from Israel in 2017, trained to attack, sniff for bombs and drugs, and track criminals.
The Indian military deployed an Israeli-developed comprehensive integrated border management system (CIBMS) along its border with Pakistan in August 2017. The fence will be monitored by sensors and security cameras and will alert people in monitoring facilities when a breach has occurred. Indian officials announced plans to seal all of their 6,300km borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh with the Israeli smart-fence. India participated in the Israeli Blue Flag military exercise for the first time in November 2017.
Due to rising tensions with China, India announced plans in July 2020 to purchase additional weapons from Israel. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz discussed strengthening bilateral ties and Singh expressed interest in encouraging greater participation of Israeli defense companies in India’s defense manufacturing sector.
While in South Africa under BDS and other Palestinian NGOs unequivocally promoting Boycott, Divest and Sanction Israel so they should be adding Mahabharat to the list and Indian directly and indirectly feeding ammo into the Israelis soldiers to carry out genocide and slaughter our innocent Palestinian brother and sister. BOYCOTT INDIA, DIVEST INDIA AND SACTION INDIA.
Author:
Salman Khan is an independent geopolitical analyst South East Asia.
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