Israel confirms providing India weapons for Operation Sindoor

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged India's use of Israeli weapons - including the Barak-8 missile, developed jointly with the Defence Research Development Organisation, and HARPY drones - during Operation Sindoor, reported ND TV channel on Friday.

"The things we provided before worked very well on the field... we develop our weapons in the field and they are battle-tested," the Israel Prime Minister said Thursday. "They worked fine and we have a pretty solid foundation."

During Operation Sindoor, India deployed multiple Israeli-origin systems — HARPY drones, SkyStriker munitions, Barak-8 missiles, and Heron reconnaissance UAVs — in key strike and air-defence roles.

The Indian military used Barak missiles and HARPY drones, in addition an impressive array of domestically manufactured weapons systems, to repel waves of Pakistani missiles over a nearly 100-hour period starting May 7. The Russian-made S-400 missile defence system was also used.

Israel was also among several countries that supported India's retaliatory strikes. Kobbi Shoshani, the Consul General in Mumbai said it was “essential” to send a strong message to the terrorists.

"That (Op Sindoor) was an action of self-defence, and I'm very proud of this operation."

Israel is among India’s largest supplies of weapons and weapons systems, a trade that has been largely unaffected by that country's war on Gaza, reported Reuters last year.

India has imported military hardware worth $2.9 billion from Israel over the last decade, including radars, drones, and missiles. Tel Aviv has ensured a steady supply of weapons to Delhi.

In fact, Israel is the fourth largest supplier of military hardware to India over the last decade; the other three are Russia ($21.8 billion), France ($5.2 billion), and the US ($4.5 billion).

But India has been trying to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers by boosting its arms manufacturing industry as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' push.

India is also working to an indigenously-developed fifth-generation fighter; this will be a single-seat twin-engine jet with advanced stealth coatings and internal weapons bays like the US' F-22 and F-35.