The Middle East is teetering on the edge of a major war again after Iran fired approximately 200 rockets at Israel on Tuesday.
Tehran’s forces fired its new Fattah hypersonic missiles during the attack on major cities including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israel says only a limited number of Iranian missiles breached the Iron Dome defence system and no injuries have been reported.
The attack came after the assassinations of senior Iranian military figures, senior Hamas figures, and the leader of Hezbollah – Hassan Nasrallah – all of which have been blamed on Israel by Tehran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to take revenge after the attack, saying: “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it. The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies … They will understand.”
Israel also launched a ground incursion into Lebanon on Monday, adding to fears that a full-blown regional war could be on the horizon.
While Israel and Iran have been engaging in a war of words for decades, Tehran launched a first direct missile attack on the other Middle Eastern nation only in April.
Data gathered by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (SIPRI) show how the countries’ militaries compare.
Iran’s military counts 587,000 active military personnel – including 150,000 members of the ground forces, 37,000 members of the air forces and 18,000 navy members. The figure also includes members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, upwards of 190,000 troops. Iran can also count on the support of proxy armies it funds militarily and economically, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
On the other hand, Israel counts a total of 169,500 military personnel – including 126,000 members of the ground forces, 34,000 air forces members and 9,500 navy members.
When it comes to main battle tanks, Iran counts 4,070 vehicles against 2,200 owned by Israel. The Tehran regime also owns more armoured vehicles than Israel.
In the air, Israel comes out on top with more combat aircraft – 339, including 50 F-35s, against Iran’s 334.
Iran has more submarines and frigates at sea than Israel – with Tehran counting 101 warships including 19 submarines against Israel‘s 67 warships, of which five are submarines.
Finally, Iran boasts more than 3,000 ballistic missiles, while Israel is believed to have around 90 Jerico III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Despite Iran counting on more manpower, missiles and tanks than Jerusalem, experts point out that a major advantage of Israel‘s comes from both its technological advancement as well as the support from Western powers like the US it enjoys.
Salam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, highlighted this while talking to CNN.
He said: “Iran is trying to throw down some red lines, knowing full well that it is in a defensive position, that Hezbollah is compromised, and that it doesn’t have the traditional conventional capabilities to fight Israel.”
