As the global community apprehensively watches the escalating rhetoric between Israel and Iran, the risk of direct confrontation between the two countries increasingly rises. This will have guaranteed repercussions on regional and global stability.
So, how do they compare militarily? While Iran has more manpower to draw soldiers from and a bigger land and sea arsenal, decades of international sanctions have prevented it from accessing the latest high-tech developments in the arms industry.
Here, Israel has the clear advantage. With one of the most advanced air forces in the world and the iron-clad backing of a global superpower, the United States (and some key European states as well), it is a force to be reckoned with.
Given that the two countries are separated by 1,000 kilometres (with Iraq and Jordan in between), any all-out war between them would most likely be fought by air, not on the ground.
Iran has the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, which includes thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles, while Israel has one of the most technologically advanced missile arsenals, some with a range of 6,500 kilometres, compared to Iran’s missiles that have a 2,000-kilometre range. Additionally, Israel's F-35 fighter jets can get close to Iran's borders and launch precision missiles that can hit their targets.
On Saturday, Israel launched air strikes targeting multiple sites in Iran. These bombings came three weeks after Iran's missile barrage on Israeli cities, where at least 180 ballistic missiles were fired on 1 October. Details have emerged suggesting Israel used precision air and drone strikes in its attack to target air defence systems, as well as military sites linked to Tehran’s nuclear programme and ballistic missile production.
