Israeli arms use in Thailand-Cambodia clashes shows growing reach

Israeli arms are being used by Thailand's armed forces as part of the country's border war with neighbouring Cambodia, showing the increasingly global reach of the Israeli arms industry.

Footage uploaded by Thai soldiers on social media shows a range of Israeli-made small arms in use, including Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles, Galil ACE assault rifles, and IMI NG-5 light machine guns.

These weapons form part of a broader arsenal of Israeli equipment used by Thailand’s military, which, according to Haaretz, has in some cases given Thailand a military edge over Cambodia.

Thailand has purchased a variety of Israeli weapons systems, ranging from Rafael’s Spike MR anti-tank missiles to a rocket artillery system developed in collaboration with Elbit and based on its PULS platform, as well as a howitzer built with Elbit and based on the ATMOS 2000.

In the field of drone warfare, an area in which Israeli firms have seen significant international success, Thailand's military is equipped with Elbit's Hermes 900 drone, as well as the Orbiter, Aerostar and Dominator XP systems.

Thailand also announced on 4 December, shortly before the latest round of clashes, that it was purchasing the Barak MX air defence system from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The spread of Israeli weapons into conflicts such as the Thailand-Cambodia border fighting comes as Israel's arms exports face growing scrutiny over their use in Gaza, where Israeli weapons have been deployed during what leading rights groups and legal experts have described as acts amounting to genocide.

Despite this scrutiny, Israel's defence exports have continued to grow, placing several Israeli firms among the world's largest arms manufacturers.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael all rank among the world's top 100 arms companies.

Thailand is one of several countries deepening defence ties with Israel. In early November, Israel signed a memorandum of understanding with India to expand defence, industrial and technological cooperation, building on existing partnerships involving Rafael, IAI and Elbit.

Azerbaijan has also been a major purchaser of Israeli weapons, notably using IAI’s Harop loitering munitions during its 2020 war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

In the Middle East and North Africa, Morocco signed a deal in 2025 worth between 150 and 200 million euros for ATMOS howitzers, following earlier purchases of the PULS rocket system and the Barak MX air defence system.

According to Israel’s defence ministry, 23 percent of Israeli arms exports went to the Asia Pacific region in 2024, while 12 percent went to the Middle East and North Africa.

Europe remains Israel’s largest arms market, accounting for 54 percent of exports, with Germany's Arrow 3 air defence system, purchased in 2023, becoming operational in early December 2025.