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Israel has handed Azerbaijan the upper hand in its war with Armenia over the breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh by selling it drone weapons Armenian forces have little defence against. In the recent flare-up of fighting, Azerbaijan has used Israeli-made 'kamikaze drones' that can take out Armenian tank and artillery positions dug into Nagorno-Karabakh's mountainous terrain. Because they held strategic high ground, the tanks and artillery had previously made the enclave's defences almost impossible for Azerbaijani forces to recapture. This might bring an end to nearly 30 years of rough stalemate in the conflict, which began in 1988 when Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh fought to secede from Azerbaijan. The drones – also known as 'loitering drones' – can circle a target for hours and then dive down to self-destruct with a payload of explosives. While Israel maintains diplomatic relations with both Muslim-majority Azerbaijan (although it a secular state) and Christian Armenia, their sale has now become a contentious issue. Last week, Armenia withdrew its ambassador to Israel in protest at “Israel's supply of ultra-modern weapons to Azerbaijan”. The move was seen by diplomats as a tacit admission that Armenian forces are suffering heavy losses in the conflict, which has already claimed at least 260 lives. Commanders in Nagorno-Karabakh have confirmed at least 160 military deaths, while Azerbaijan has not given out casualty figures.
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