Army strength
- Iran: about 610,000 active, about 350,000 reserves, plus up to 220,000 members of paramilitary forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia.
- Israel: about 170,000 active military, reserves about 400,000, also 35,000 National Guard members.
Air Force and missile defence
- Iran has about 350 aircraft, including older models – F-14, F-4, Su-24 and Su-25.
- Israel, in contrast, has 612 combat aircraft, including modern F-35s, F-15s and F-16s.
- Israel is also equipped with an advanced multi-layered missile defence system: the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, which have already been quite successful in repelling Iranian attacks.
Missile and drone arsenal
- Iran has the largest arsenal in the region – estimated at over 3,000 ballistic missiles (short to medium range) including Shahab, Fateh, Zolfaghar and Khorramshahr.
- In April 2024, Iran attacked Israel with over 300 warheads (missiles and SLBMs), of which Israel Defence Forces (IDF) intercepted 99%.
- Strike drones include Shahed-129 (1700 km flight, armed with up to 4 missiles), Shahed-136 (suicide drones with 20-50kg warheads), a significant number of which have been used against Israel.
Intelligence and Special Forces
- Iran is active in cyber warfare, has IRGC special forces (including 200,000 fighters) and resources for international operations through Quds Force.
- Israel leads in cyber security and technology, with Mossad, Unit 8200, innovation in AI and electronic warfare, and US support and nuclear deterrence.
Conclusions.
In terms of military power, Iran wins quantitatively: soldiers, missiles, drones, numerical fleet. However, Israel is qualitatively superior: modern fighter jets, missile defence, cyber infrastructure, nuclear capability and innovative technology. In the event of war, Iran has the resources for a long-term and large-scale campaign, but Israel may be able to strike a decisive technological blow earlier – with U.S. support and dominance in critical areas.