Israeli arms used by Thailand in border clashes with Cambodia
Arms manufactured by Israeli companies have reportedly been used by Thailand’s military in its border clashes with Cambodia, as reported by The New Arab via Haaretz on December 17th.
Social media videos show Thai soldiers using a range of Israeli-made weaponry, including Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles, Galil ACE assault rifles, and IMI NG-5 light machine guns.
Thailand has reportedly purchased a variety of weapons systems from Israeli defence contractors, including Spike MR anti-tank missiles from Rafael Advanced Defence Systems, and various rocket artillery systems developed in collaboration with Elbit Systems.
On December 4th, Thailand announced its purchase of the Barak MX air defence system from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), another large defence contractor that often collaborates with Elbit Systems and Rafael.
Cambodia and Thailand experienced armed clashes on July 10th, which killed at least 11 civilians and led to Thailand deploying F-16 fighter jets; the conflict was supposedly triggered over a long-standing dispute around Emerald Triangle, a trilateral border region where several ancient temples stand.
The ensuing conflict killed at least 43 people and displaced more than 300,000 others; both sides agreed to a ceasefire on July 28th, although Thailand was accused of violating the ceasefire.
It is believed that purchasing Israeli-made weaponry will give Thailand an advantage against Cambodia, with the latter being accused of starting the latest conflict by deploying snipers at a contested temple and firing rockets into Thai territory.
Thailand’s purchase of Israeli arms has been made despite all three companies facing criticism for alleged complicity in Israeli crimes against civilians in the Occupied Palestinian territories.
Elbit Systems is considered one of Israel’s largest defence contractors, including supplying an estimated 85% of the drones used by Israeli forces in its genocidal war on Gaza.
The contractor specialises in an array of military technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), electronic warfare systems, and advanced artillery.
Self-propelled artillery systems manufactured by Elbit have been marked as “battle tested” by the contractor, suggesting that the weapons were used in attacks on the Palestinian people.
Defence contractors have faced condemnation for supplying weapons used in Israel’s war on Gaza, with the leader of Italy’s Leonardo defence group being referred to the International Criminal Court for alleged complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
The New Arab via Haaretz, Maghrebi.org
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