Conflict zone: Israel-Lebanon

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The latest flareup between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, in a decades-long conflict has brought renewed attention to the increasing military capabilities on both sides. 

The conflict has repeatedly reshaped the security landscape of West Asia, particularly when the region remains on edge amid overlapping clashes. A ceasefire agreement was brokered by the United States (US) between Israel and Lebanon in June.

The recent confrontation has been marked by the deployment of increasingly sophisticated military technologies and unconventional weapon systems. The first image reportedly features Israel’s Merkava main battle tanks. It is a heavily armoured battle tank and anchors the ground posture of the country against Hezbollah. With a payload capacity of 48 rounds, it is currently in its fourth iteration and was first deployed in the late 1970s. The tank was reportedly attacked by Hezbollah’s first-person view (FPV) drone in May.

According to US-based Human Rights Watch, Israel used artillery-fired white phosphorus munitions against Hezbollah, first in March. The second picture is reportedly of white phosphorus, a chemical substance dispersed in artillery shells, bombs, and rockets that ignites when exposed to oxygen.

The third picture is of the anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), which have been among Hezbollah’s most important battlefield weapons against Israel for nearly two decades. ATGMs can be launched from aircraft or land vehicles or by infantry. Hezbollah has developed an ATGM arsenal using Russian, Iranian, and Syrian-supplied system

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The Hermes 900, deployed by Israel, featured next is an advanced medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of operating over both land and sea. Manufactured by Elbit Systems, it is designed for tactical as well as strategic missions and is equipped with internal installation bays and multiple under-wing hardpoints.