Dangerous Skies

Dixya Poudel

On April 13, 2024, the skies of Israel were rained down by a barrage of Iranian missiles. Two weeks prior on April 1, Israel had fired an air strike near the Iranian consulate building in Syria that resulted in the deaths of two high-ranking Iranian generals. This provoked Iran to counterattack firing over 300 drones and missiles towards Israel on April 13. The attack lasted for over five grueling hours. However, the Israeli forces were able to intercept most of the projectiles with the assistance from the UK, the US and France. Israel retaliated leading to mounting tensions in the Middle East. This festering Israel-Iran conflict is seen as a spillover from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

The growing dispute in Middle East has displayed the high-tech employed in military warfare amid global apprehension and alarm. It has shown how well-equipped nations such as Iran and Israel are when it comes to arms and ammunitions. Even the Russia-Ukraine war has highlighted how tech-savvy modern military has become. In particular, the use of drones has changed the way battles are fought in current age and time. This has worried humanitarian authorities as drone warfare is increasingly used in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency. 

Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aren’t new to the current times. Early versions were implemented as far back as World War I but it is only recently that they have evolved into highly sophisticated tools in aerial strikes. Through combat drones, wars are now conducted via the skies. Adding to the threat of drones is AI (Artificial Intelligence) which could play an extreme and even lethal role in shaping future battles. 

While once superpowers dominated military might, today it has transcended even to poorer, conflict-ridden nations. It is alarming that along with richer nations, insurgents and poorer nations like Ethiopia are purchasing drones which are cost-effective and easy to assemble. Now they are flown armed with weapons, causing destruction, casualties and havoc. However, they are also intercepted before they can do any damage. Between the attacks and counterattacks, skies continue to be ignited at war-torn regions, thundering at all times and spreading fear that only adds fuel to fire. People in such regions live in terror for their lives and their loved ones.

As Russia-Ukraine war runs in its second year with no end in sight, and Middle East is embroiled in acrid dispute, the world can only helplessly watch wondering if the global peace is at peril. One also wonders who is fueling and profiting from these conflicts. It points fingers at military superpowers who spend billions of dollars in building arms and ammunitions to establish themselves as a menacing opponent. And they do so even at the widespread public outcry against military expenditure. For example, the US spent a whopping $916 billion on its military in 2023. While it elucidates how committed the US is to defense and security, it also presents the world superpower as a formidable nation. 

As the world today is driven by geopolitical disputes, conflicts and evolving tensions over territories, the skies are turning lethal due to combat drones projected extensively. The same skies that are a source of life-sustaining air are now becoming a threat due to the fatal drone strikes as seen in the war-torn regions.