Iran-Israel conflict: Whose military power?
Last Updated on October 5, 2024 9:46 am
Iran and Israel are two eternal enemies in the Middle East. There are constant conflicts between the two countries. Both countries continue to threaten each other. But recently the Israeli invasion of Gaza, the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. After the recent assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah and Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, the two countries have been under intense tension since Iran’s deadly missile attack on the Jewish state.
In this incident, the eyes of the whole world, including the Middle East, are now on the Iran-Israel situation. There are also concerns about what Israel will do in response to an Iranian attack.
Many are also fearing the start of a regional war around the direct conflict between the two countries. Because, if we compare in terms of capabilities, it can be seen that both countries are quite strong militarily.
According to Global Firepower statistics, Iran is three steps ahead of Israel in terms of military capabilities. However, both countries are ranked among the top twenty militarily powerful countries in the world.
Iran’s position is 14th and Israel’s 17th among the top countries in military capability.
Military budget
Both Iran and Israel spend a lot of money on defense. However, Israel’s annual military budget is more than double that of Iran.
Israel’s defense budget is 24.4 billion dollars. On the other hand, Iran’s budget is 9.95 billion dollars. Among the 145 countries in this ranking, Iran is 33rd, and Israel is 19th.
Regular soldier
According to Global Fire Power, Iran has more troops than Israel. Iran’s regular army has 11 lakh 80 thousand, Israel’s army 6 lakh 70 thousand. Among them, Iran has 350,000 reserve troops and Israel has 465,000 reserve troops.
Fighter plane
Iran’s total number of military aircraft is 551, Israel has 612. Among them, Iran has 186 warplanes and Israel has 241 warplanes.
On the other hand, Iran has 23 attacking aircraft while Israel has 39. Iran has 86 transport aircraft, Israel has 12. In addition, Iran has 102 training planes, Israel has 155.
Attack helicopter
According to Global Firepower statistics, Iran has 129 helicopters, Israel has 146. Israel has 48 attack helicopters. On the other hand, the number of attack helicopters of Iran is 13.
Tanks and armored vehicles
According to Global Firepower data, Iran is far ahead of Israel in terms of tanks and armored vehicles. Israel has 1370 tanks, Iran has 1996.
Iran has 65 thousand 765 armored vehicles, Israel has 43 thousand 403. Besides, Iran is ahead in artillery capability. Where their Rocket Artillery MLRS or Rocket Artillery number is 775 and Self Propelled Artillery is 580. On the other hand, the number of Israeli propelled artillery is 650 and the number of MLRS or rocket artillery is 150.
Military power in the naval department
According to Global Fire Power, Iran is leading in terms of naval power. The country has 101 warships including seven frigates and 21 patrol vessels while Israel has 67 warships. Of these, there are 45 patrol vessels and Israel has no frigates. Iran is also strong in terms of submarines. The country has 19 submarines while Israel has 5 submarines.
Nuclear power
According to the latest data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a research organization based in Sweden, at the beginning of last year, nine countries in the world have about 12,512 nuclear weapons.
The countries are – USA, Russia, UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel. Iran has never officially possessed nuclear weapons on this list. But the United States and the European Union have repeatedly claimed over the past few years that Iran is using its uranium stockpile to develop nuclear weapons. Iran claims its nuclear program is peaceful.
Meanwhile, Global Firepower did not mention in its report how many nuclear weapons any country has. The agency says it did not take nuclear weapons capabilities into account in its report.