Tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated sharply following a militant attack in the city of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. India has accused Pakistan of being behind the attack, while Pakistan has denied any involvement. India launched what it called “Operation Sindhura”, an advanced military operation targeting nine strongholds of what India describes as terrorist organizations, including: (Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen). Israel then officially declared its full support for India after the Indian army carried out a series of strikes that India described as “surgical precision strikes targeting terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.” This sharp escalation by India follows a major attack targeting several tourists in the Pahalgam area of Indian-administered Kashmir in April 2025, which exacerbated tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. India asserts it has evidence linking the perpetrators of the attack to extremist groups based in Pakistan, allegations Islamabad denies, asserting that India has not provided supporting evidence. Pakistan responded by suspending a peace treaty with India dating back to 1972 and taking retaliatory steps. A United Nations team conducted a field visit to the site of the Indian attack in the Muzaffarabad area inside Pakistan. Pakistan, reflecting the growing international concern about the situation escalating into an open confrontation between India and Pakistan.
From my analytical perspective, Israeli support for India stems from the United States’ keenness to strengthen its relations with India, based on the American principle of strengthening “relations with Asian democracies”, including India, and expanding partnerships in technology and defense with them. India also supports the United States within the framework of the “Quad alliance” with Japan, South Korea, and Australia to counter Chinese influence in the Indian and Pacific Oceans through India, and to present the United States to India as a reliable partner in global supply chains and advanced technology.
To this end, China’s support for Pakistan’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) stands in stark contrast to the India-Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) project, which will pass through (Israel’s Ben Gurion Port). This project will negatively impact China and the Egyptian Suez Canal, forcing Asian and global trade flows through India and Tel Aviv. China is strongly opposing this project through its close network of ties with Pakistan. This BRI, which includes India, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Italy, and the United States, stands in stark contrast to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Egyptian Suez Canal.
This is in exchange for Chinese support for Pakistan, its close ally in South Asia. This competition is due to the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative via Pakistan and the Pakistani Gwadar Economic Port, and the Regional Transport Corridor project, which will connect India to Israel via the (Israeli Ben Gurion Port), and then link Israel to Europe and the world through it. This will make Israel the controller of all global transport corridors, navigation routes, and maritime transport, as well as logistics. This is the same project that was announced at the (G20 Summit) in New Delhi in 2023. This is the same project that will conflict with Egypt’s interests in the Egyptian Suez Canal and China’s interests and projects through the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, which will make an occupying state like Israel control all global navigation routes, maritime transport, and logistics. Because of this joint Indian-Israeli project, Israel has been dedicated to providing advanced security and intelligence support to India, especially in border disputes with Pakistan. Tel Aviv has also been the primary source of surveillance technology and drones used by New Delhi in Kashmir. What is striking today is that Israeli solidarity with Pakistan has not stopped at the symbolic aspect, it has also included discussions between Indian and Israeli Prime Ministers “Netanyahu and Modi” regarding the Regional Transport Corridor project, which will connect India to Europe via the Gulf and Israel. This is an attempt to undermine Chinese influence and strategically link India to Israel at the expense of Egypt’s interests in the Suez Canal and China’s interests and its Belt and Road Initiative.
Here we understand the reason for this strong Chinese support for Pakistan, due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project, known as “CPEC”. This project will connect China to warm waters via Pakistan, passing through areas disputed with India. To achieve these interests between China and Pakistan, China provides continuous political and diplomatic support to Pakistan in international forums, particularly regarding the Kashmir issue or the designation of militant groups. China has also refused to designate several Pakistani groups as terrorists at the United Nations, despite pressure from the United States and India to do so. Furthermore, through this generous support for Pakistan, Beijing seeks to limit India’s role in the Asian region as an ally of the United States and create a balance of pressure on its western borders, especially in light of the escalating border disputes between India and China in the (Ladakh and Himalayas) regions.
The conflict at the heart of South Asia between India and Pakistan is one of the most complex and sensitive geopolitical equations, and it is the tense relationship between India and Pakistan. This relationship is no longer understood solely in terms of border or sectarian disputes, but is now analyzed within a broader framework where the interests and priorities of major powers, especially the United States and China, overlap. The conflict between these two nuclear-armed states has become an influential factor in the global power game. India is an increasingly important strategic ally of the West, while Pakistan remains a key partner for China in its massive Belt and Road geo-economic project, through the Economic Corridor and the Pakistani port of Gwadar, which has massive Chinese investments.
Israel supported India after the attack in Kashmir, which was not merely a security incident; it opened the door to Indian escalation with multifaceted Israeli support, including: (suspending the India-Pakistan water treaty, expelling Pakistani diplomats from India, and canceling Indian visas to Pakistan), in addition to numerous strict Indian internal security measures related to Pakistan and its citizens. It is noteworthy that this escalation enjoys political and media support from the Israeli side, which views India as a natural partner in its broader project for security hegemony in Asia and the Middle East.
This proves the strong relationship between the (Hindu nationalist right-wing government led by Narendra Modi and the far-right Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu). These relationships are no longer limited to the exchange of security expertise. Rather, they encompass an ideological alliance between New Delhi and Tel Aviv based on the rejection of liberation movements and resistance, high-level intelligence coordination in Kashmir and Palestine, and a unified vision for integrating economic interests under the guise of combating terrorism. Israel not only stands in solidarity with India, but also stands behind it politically, technically, and intelligence-wise, confronting any power that opposes regional expansion or refuses to normalize relations with Israel, such as Pakistan.
India responded by sending (Israeli Harop drones) to several Pakistani locations in Lahore and Karachi. According to Israeli military statements, the “Israeli Harop drones”, deployed by India against Pakistan, are a loitering weapon launched from outside the battlefield. The danger of these “Israeli Harop drones” lies in their ability to remain in flight over hostile territory for extended periods and identify targets before impact. These Israeli drones, deployed by India, are known to be among the most accurate and advanced weapons in the world. They are produced by Israel Aerospace Industries and were developed in 2014.
Israel announced through its media outlets close to the Israeli military intelligence unit that Pakistan is an enemy state of Tel Aviv, which the Hebrew media described as a hostile state to Israel, and which Israelis are prohibited from visiting. Official Indian-Israeli statements affirm that Israel and India share common values in the fields of innovation, advanced agriculture, health, and military technology. They also emphasized the security alliance between India and Israel against Pakistan under the guise of “fighting terrorism”. In a new indication of the strengthening security and military partnership between India and Israel, Israeli Prime Minister “Benjamin Netanyahu” expressed his full solidarity with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, following the attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people.
Israel was quick to affirm its support for India after New Delhi announced missile strikes on nine sites in Pakistan. While US President Donald Trump described the escalation of Indian-Pakistani tensions as unfortunate, international and regional warnings were issued that the world could not tolerate a military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Israeli Ambassador “Reuven Azar” commented at the Israeli embassy in the Indian capital, New Delhi, that: “Israel supports India’s right to defend itself, and I am confident of Israel’s full support for the Indian strikes on Pakistan”. The same ambassador’s posts on social media platforms included: “Israel supports India’s right to self-defense, and terrorists must know that there is no place to hide from their crimes against innocents”.
These joint Israeli-Indian statements reveal an ideological convergence between the two sides, as they adopt a common discourse that criminalizes resistance or opposition as terrorism, while ignoring the political and legal contexts of the conflicts, whether in Kashmir or Palestine and Gaza Strip.
Pakistan’s announcement that it had shot down 25 Israeli-made drones launched by India came after the outbreak of a military confrontation between the two sides. Here, as is clear analytically and according to all evidence, it appears that Israel has a place on the line of the most dangerous conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad. Hence Israel’s eagerness to supply India with Israeli-made drones. In addition, as we mentioned, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued orders to its ambassador to India “Reuven Azar” to affirm Tel Aviv’s full support for New Delhi in what the Israeli ambassador described as the right of self-defense. This was stated in official interviews with Indian media outlets, to which the Israeli newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” devoted significant space. The Indian media explicitly noted that Israel was among the first countries to express its support for India after Operation Sindur against Pakistan. They drew a comparison between the October 7, 2025, Hamas-led attack on Israel and the recent attack in Vahalgam, India, with the Israeli ambassador to India emphasizing the lessons India could learn from Israel’s experience, conforming that: “the Valhalgam attack was similar in severity to the October 7 attack on Israel”, and in the view of the Israeli ambassador to India, democracies have no choice but to act against such serious threats to their security, he affirmed Israel’s support for India’s exercise of its inherent right to responsible self-defense to protect the security and safety of its citizens against terrorists from Pakistan.
As for China’s position, it is considered a close ally of Pakistan, given the importance of Pakistan to its important Belt and Road Initiative, in addition to being the largest investor in Pakistan, through the China-Pakistan Silk Road Economic Corridor project and the $65 billion Gwadar Port, which is fully Chinese-invested and spans the border between China and Pakistan, connecting China to the rest of Asia and the world. China also has multiple disputed border claims with India, one of which is in the northeastern part of the Kashmir region. However, China called on both New Delhi and Islamabad to prioritize peace and stability and refrain from escalation. China explicitly expressed its regret over India’s military action. China also officially expressed its concern over the current developments. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement that China regrets India’s military actions and is concerned about current developments, and that China opposes all forms of terrorism. China called on both India and Pakistan to prioritize peace and stability in the Asian region and its global impact, to maintain calm and restraint, and to avoid taking actions that further complicate the situation between the two sides.
Based on the foregoing analysis, we cannot understand these tensions between India and Pakistan in isolation from regional and international shifts. India and Pakistan have become increasingly connected to larger axes of influence where the interests of Washington and Beijing overlap, amid a world headed toward increasing strategic polarization between regional and major powers, with significant economic and geopolitical interests for both sides.
