Iran and Israel: What are their offensive and defensive capabilities? | News on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Iran attacked Israel's major cities with at least 180 ballistic missiles on Tuesday evening.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the rockets were fired in Tehran's response to the killings of civilians in Gaza and more recently in Lebanon in Israeli strikes, as well as the killings of IRGC, Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

The IRGC said the missiles were targeted at three military bases in Tel Aviv. Iranian state media said the country had used Fatah hypersonic missiles for the first time, a claim Al Jazeera could not independently verify.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced retaliation, saying Iran had “made a big mistake” and “will pay for it.”

The United States said it helped Israel thwart Iran's attack and pledged to help its ally strike back against Iran.

“We are proud of the actions we have taken together with Israel to protect and defend Israel. “We have made clear that this attack will have consequences – serious consequences – and we will work with Israel to make this happen,” US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday.

As Israel and Iran—longtime enemies that have engaged in proxy battles for decades—increasingly move toward direct confrontation, we take a look at their respective military capabilities, their ability to attack each other, and how they might defend their territories.

Number of soldiers

According to The Military Balance 2023, published by the British think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS):

Iran has 610,000 active soldiers, including 350,000 in the army, 190,000 in the IRGC, 18,000 in the navy, 37,000 in the air force and 15,000 in air defense. In addition, Iran has a reserve army of 350,000 men. Conscription is mandatory for Iranian men over the age of 18, with some exceptions.

Israel has 169,500 active soldiers, including 126,000 in the army, 9,500 in the navy and 34,000 in the air force. Israel has a reserve army of 465,000 men. Israel requires conscription for most young men and women over the age of 18, with certain exceptions.

Military spending

According to a fact sheet published in April 2024 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI):

Iran spent $10.3 billion in 2023, an increase of 0.6 percent from 2022.

Israel spent $27.5 billion in 2023, a 24 percent increase from 2022 — an increase fueled in part by the post-October 7 war on Gaza.

Ground troops

According to The Military Balance 2023:

Iran has more than 10,513 battle tanks, more than 6,798 artillery pieces and more than 640 armored personnel carriers. The army also has 50 helicopters while the IRGC has 5 helicopters.

Israel has around 400 battle tanks, 530 artillery pieces and more than 1,190 personnel carriers.

air force

According to The Military Balance 2023:

Iran: The Air Force has 312 combat-capable aircraft and the IRGC has another 23. The Air Force has two attack helicopters, the Army has 50 and the IRGC has five.

Israel has 345 combat aircraft and 43 attack helicopters.

marine

According to The Military Balance 2023:

Iran has 17 tactical submarines, 68 patrol and littoral combat boats, seven corvettes, 12 landing ships, 11 landing craft, 18 logistics and support equipment.

Israel has five submarines and 49 patrol and coastal fighters.

Air defense systems

According to The Military Balance 2023:

Israel The air defense is based on the so-called Iron Dome system, which is believed to have intercepted most of the Iranian missiles on Tuesday night. The system is equipped with a radar that detects an incoming projectile, its speed and direction. The control center then calculates whether the projectile poses a threat to Israeli cities. The projectiles that do not pose a threat may land on empty spaces. If they pose a threat, the missile launch unit fires missiles to shoot them down. The launcher contains 20 interceptor missiles.

There are 10 Iron Dome batteries scattered throughout Israel. Other systems intercept medium and long-range missiles. The Sling of David intercepts missiles between 40 km (25 miles) and 300 km (186 miles). The Arrow system intercepts missiles with a range of up to 2,400 km (1,491 miles).

Iran: In February, Iran deployed the low-altitude short-range Azarakhsh missile, which means “thunderbolt” in Persian. It is an infrared detection system equipped with radar and electro-optical systems to detect and intercept targets. It can be mounted on vehicles.

Iran has a number of different surface-to-air missile defense systems. These include the over 42 Russian-made long-range S-200, S-300 and local Bavar-373 aircraft; the more than 59 US medium-range missiles MIM-23 Hawk, HQ-2J and Khordad-15; and the 279 Chinese-made CH-SA-4 and 9K331 Tor-M1 short-range missiles.

Ballistic missiles

According to the Missile Defense Project at the US-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS):

Iran has at least 12 different types of medium and short-range ballistic missiles in its arsenal. These range from the Tondar 69, which has a range of 150 km (93 miles), to the Khorramshahr and Sejjil, both of which have a range of up to 2,000 km (1,243 miles).

Israel has at least four different types of intermediate and medium-range ballistic missiles, from the LORA with a range of 280 km (174 miles) to the Jericho-3 with a range between 4,800 km (2,983 miles) and 6,500 km (4,039 miles). miles).

Nuclear capabilities

Israel According to the US-based Arms Control Association, there are an estimated 90 nuclear warheads in its inventory.

Iran The country is not believed to have nuclear weapons, but it does have an advanced nuclear program and operates several nuclear facilities and research centers. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei banned the manufacture of weapons in a religious decree or fatwa in the early 2000s, saying it was forbidden in Islam. However, Iran threatened in May to change its nuclear doctrine “if Iran's existence was threatened.”