US, UK support Israel with extensive military airlifts, intelligence in Gaza and Lebanon

The US and UK could be playing a key part in Israel’s brutal military campaigns in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon beyond arms supplies, a new investigation by Al Jazeera on Thursday has revealed, with airlifts and intelligence support.

Over 6,000 military flights were recorded between October last year and this month, including hundreds of transport missions delivering weapons to Israel, the investigation showed.

The network's monitoring and verification agency Sanad conducted the probe by using Open Source flight data, revealing the extent of Washington and London's involvement in Israel's onslaught in the region, which has killed thousands and displaced millions.

Data also shows that the UK accounted for almost half of reconnaissance flights recorded over the same time period, with the US being responsible for 33 percent of such flights.

Reconnaissance missions refer to an operation carried out by the military through an exploration of an area, in order to obtain information on the zone it is targeting.

Al Jazeera's data revealed that Israel only flew 20 percent of reconnaissance flights.

The UK reportedly conducted these flights using Shadow R1 surveillance aircraft, which provided intelligence on ground movements in Gaza.

The investigation also showed the extent of an air bridge built for Israel, vital to sustaining the intensity of the war on Gaza and the aggression in Lebanon.

An air bridge refers to the route and means used to deliver goods  – in this case, weapons – from one location to another via military aircraft.

Over 1,200 military cargo flights delivered such weapons to Israel, bolstering its weapons arsenal as it carries out atrocities.

The investigation also uncovered that several bases in Europe – notably in Germany, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus – were used amid the UK’s military flights to Israel.

Political analyst Elijah Magnier told Al Jazeera that the UK and the US's "extensive support in intelligence, precision bombing" to Israel, illustrates "the high level of Western commitment and how they are fully partner in this war".

Magnier also highlighted the weakening of Israel's military amid the war, prompting the army to rely substantially on Western military support.

At least 42,847 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed since the start of Israel's onslaught on 7 October last year. Israel’s aggression, and subsequent invasion of Lebanon, has killed at least 2,574 people in the country. The death tolls are estimated to be much higher, with scores believed to be buried under rubble.

The US has continuously provided Israel with military support since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza, supplying billions worth of dollars in military assistance – drawing condemnation from some Democrats, notably Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

Evidence has pointed to several US-made bombs being used to kill Palestinians in Gaza, including 2,000-pound bunker-bunking bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM).

In Lebanon, the Israeli military has used US-linked SPICE 2000 kits, including in a recent attack that levelled a ten storey building in Beirut.

The US has also refused to impose an arms embargo on Israel, despite calls to do so from pro-Palestinian groups, doctors returning from Gaza, and high-profile celebrities.

The UK, much like its trans-Atlantic ally, also continues to supply Israel with weapons. However, London implemented a partial ban on arms sales in early September, suspending around 30 arms licenses to Israel.

Amnesty International called the move "too limited".