The war in Gaza may have started due to the most spectacular failure of Israeli intelligence to anticipate the Hamas attack, but in the impending conflict with Iran the Jewish State’s spies appear to have prepared the ground well.
OR Mosant, h Sin Bet and the Amen– the Israeli military intelligence service – will have completely deciphered not only the targets of the attack on Iran, but also the forces it will face, mainly the Israeli air force.
The Iranian armed forces number approximately 350,000 men of the army, 18,000 members of the navy, 37,000 men in the air force and 15,000 in air defense. There is also the Revolutionary Guard, which numbers around 150,000 in the land forces, more than 20,000 in the navy and 15,000 in the aerospace services.
Given the geographical distance of 2,000 kilometers that separates the two countries, a possible conflict would involve, in addition to missile systems, air forces.
The air force
OR Iranian Air Force (IRIAF) is considered obsolete, as it mainly has aircraft inherited from the was the Shah’s, before the Islamic revolution of 1979. There are 183 aircraft, including 63 F-4 (and some RF-4), 26 F-14, 23 Sukhoi Su-24, 20 MiG-29, 17 F-5, 17 F-7. , 8 Saeqeh (local version of the F-5), 9 Mirage F-1 and several Su -22 and Su-25. The functionality of these aircraft is not known, but it is estimated that they are not capable of intercepting Israeli fighters and due to the impossibility of obtaining spare parts. The IRIAF also has a fleet of aerial refueling aircraft consisting of 3 specially modified Boeing 707s and an equal number of 747s.
Iran has no attack helicopters, but only 6 medium and light transport helicopters.
The missile arsenal
On the contrary, the Iranian missile arsenal it is more sophisticated and is based on a notable set of short and medium range launchers. Although their operational capacity is not officially known, medium-range MRBM missiles can reach Israel, as can the supersonic Fattah-1 and 2 that managed to “pierce” Israeli air defenses in recent attacks.
Tehran may also rely on an unknown number of Shahab-3, Kheibar Shekan, Sejjil, Khorramshahr, Ghadr-1 and Emad missiles, both variants of the Shahab-3. Iran also has long-range cruise missiles: the Soumar, which can hit targets up to 2,300 km away, and the Paveh derivative of the former, with an estimated range of 1,600 km.
Iran has approx. 1900 tanks– mainly Russian T-72S and 2,600 personnel carriers. The Iranian navy also has 7 frigates and three Kilo-class submarines. However, overall, Iran can rely on a vast and diverse fleet of small surface ships that could be used to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
What is Israel facing?
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has 339 combat aircraft, of which 309 are multifunctional for defense and ground attack). The Israeli air fleet includes: 196 F-16 fighter-bombers, 83 F-15s and 30/39 F-35s. Israel has 7 Boeing 707 aerial refueling aircraft and an equal number of KC-130H. It also has 128 helicopters of various types, including 26 AH-64A and 22 AH attack helicopters. -64D.
90 nuclear warheads
Israel also possesses Delilah and Jericho class intermediate-range ballistic and cruise missiles, and aircraft-launched Popeye missiles.
It is also believed that Tel Aviv could have 90 nuclear warheadsof which around 50 could be mounted on this type of ballistic missiles.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also consists of 169,500 permanent male soldiers, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) report. The IDF also has approximately 465,000 reservists, of whom approximately 300,000 were recalled following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack. In Israel, military service is mandatory for those over 18 years of age, lasting 32 months for men and 24 months for women.
For the record, Israel has approx. 400 types of tanks Merkava IV and 4M and 700 Type III, as well as several thousand armored personnel carriers, although due to the nature of the war with Iran, they are not expected to be used.
The Israeli Navy finally has 7 corvettes and 8 guided missile patrol boats, as well as 5 submarines.