Key facts
- Elbit Systems stated its command and control system identified 850,000 real-time intelligence targets.
- The targets were detected between October 7, 2023, and the end of 2025.
- The Tzayad digital army program maps friendly and enemy positions.
- A former US Pentagon official raised concerns about the volume of targets and potential collateral damage.
- Elbit Systems clarified the figure represents system activity, not enemy targets or strikes.
Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms supplier, revealed that its Tzayad digital army program identified approximately 850,000 real-time intelligence targets across all military theaters between October 7, 2023, and the end of 2025. This figure was presented by Miki Edelstein, an executive vice-president at Elbit, at a military conference in London.
Edelstein described these targets as "an enemy that we are not aware of before" that "pops up" and highlighted the need to hit them accurately despite potential ammunition shortages. The data was presented on a slide citing "high-tempo operations" by the Israel Defense Forces, including over 20,000 battle plans and the 850,000 real-time intel targets.
Wes Bryant, a former senior targeting adviser at the US Pentagon, expressed significant concern over the 850,000 figure, suggesting it could imply that up to or over half of Gaza's population and infrastructure had been targeted at some point. He argued that it is impossible for military personnel to adequately assess such a high volume of information to determine threat reality and legality, especially concerning collateral damage.
An Elbit spokesperson later clarified that the 850,000 figure reflected "aggregated system activity and operational data generated through the IDF’s digital army program across all operational theaters since October 7, 2023," and not the number of enemy targets or actual strikes. The spokesperson stated it demonstrated the volume of information processed by the Israeli military.
Sophia Goodfriend, a research fellow at Cambridge University, noted that thoroughly vetting 1,000 targets daily would be extremely difficult without AI support, raising questions about accountability and human oversight. The article also mentions other AI-powered databases used by the Israeli military, such as Lavender and Hasbora, to increase targeting speed, with Lavender identifying 37,000 potential targets and Hasbora generating 100 targets a day.