External attacks refers to acts of aggression or military involvement by an actor on foreign soil. The Hindu analysed events of external attacks that were recorded by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. Incidences of attacks were used as a proxy, as data for child fatalities under external attacks were not separately maintained. This is despite the fact that Israel, globally, only accounted for 14% of lethal external attacks. Meanwhile, Russia alone accounted for 56% of lethal external attacks since 1996.

Source: The Hindu March 19, 2026 06:30 UTC