Counter-Terror Without Counterinsurgency |
Discussions on modern conflict place all wars in same category. In practice, states operate across very different strategic modes, and confusing them produces bad policy and worse analysis. Contemporary violence fits into three operational buckets: conventional war, counterinsurgency, and counter-terrorism. Conventional war involves state militaries fighting for decisive outcomes and territorial control. Counterinsurgency is population-centric, combining military force with governance and political legitimacy. Counter-terrorism is something else entirely: a security posture focused on degrading terrorist networks, with no ambition to politically transform the societies from which they emerge.
Seen through this framework, Israel and India have independently converged on a strikingly similar counter-terror model, despite radically different geographies, cultures, and political systems. Neither country treats terrorism primarily as a symptom of local governance failure. India has dealt for decades with jihadist violence linked to Kashmir and beyond while Israel has confronted terror organizations rooted in Palestinian militancy and wider Islamist movements for generations.
In both contexts, the violence draws legitimacy from ideological narratives that extend well beyond material grievances. Territorial reclamation, religious obligation, and civilizational struggle do not meaningfully shift with improved administration or economic development. As a result, neither state approaches terrorism as a problem to be “solved” through nation-building or population-centric reform.
Instead, both countries have embraced precision over presence. Israel’s counter-terror posture relies heavily on airpower, special operations, and intelligence-driven targeting. Precision-guided munitions allow Israeli forces to strike terrorist leadership, weapons depots, and operational infrastructure without committing to prolonged ground control. The objective is disruption and deterrence, not occupation or governance. This allows Israel to simultaneously pursue counter-terror operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran without overstretching their resources.
India’s approach follows the same strategic logic. Operation Sindoor in May 2025 marked India’s most significant strikes on Pakistani territory since 1971. Following the Pahalgam attack that killed twenty-six civilians, India conducted precision strikes against terrorist infrastructure across Pakistan, targeting headquarters associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. The operation employed precision-guided munitions like the domestically made BrahMos cruise missiles, and domestically integrated SCALP missiles. India’s chief of defense staff later emphasized that clearly defined objectives created space for punitive action within the escalation ladder, with no attempt to seize or hold........