Israel-Iran Military Strengths: On Saturday, tensions between Israel and Iran got much worse. The United States and Israel worked together to strike Iranian sites, including some close to Tehran. In response, Iran sent drones and missiles at Israel and US-linked places in the Gulf. This has made people worried about a possible wider war in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were meant to remove what he called an “existential threat”. US President Donald Trump confirmed that “major combat operations” were happening. Tehran, on the other hand, warned it “will not hesitate” to fight back.
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This conflict shows two very different ways of being strong. Iran has bigger numbers and a lot of missiles. Israel is smaller but has advanced technology and strong air power.
Military Strength
According to the 2026 Global Firepower Index, Israel is ranked 15th out of 145 countries with a Power Index of 0.2707. Iran is 16th with 0.3199. A lower score means a stronger military.
Iran has a population of about 88 million, which gives it many soldiers. Iran has around 610,000 active soldiers and 220,000 paramilitary troops. Israel has 9.4 million people, 169,500 active soldiers, and about 465,000 reserve troops. Israel relies on its reserves and mandatory military service to respond quickly in war.
Geography
Iran is very large, more than 1.6 million square kilometres, which lets it spread out its forces. Israel is small, under 22,000 square kilometres, so it depends a lot on missile defence for safety.
Israel spends about $34.6 billion on defence every year, while Iran spends $9.23 billion. This money difference gives Israel advanced planes, missile defence systems, and better intelligence. Israel is also believed to have around 90 nuclear warheads. Iran says its nuclear program is only for civilian use and that it does not have nuclear weapons.
On the ground, Iran has more tanks and rockets. Iran has roughly 2,675 tanks and 1,550 mobile rocket launchers. Israel has 1,300 tanks but its Merkava tanks are very advanced. Israel has 228 rocket launchers.
At sea, Iran has 109 ships including 25 submarines. Israel has 82 ships with six submarines and some modern corvettes. Israel focuses on protecting its coast. Iran can operate in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Air Power
Air power is a big difference between the two countries. Israel has 597 aircraft, including 239 fighter jets. It also has 39 F-35I stealth fighters, F-15s, F-16s, 48 attack helicopters, and planes that can refuel other planes in the air. Iran has 551 aircraft with 188 fighter jets, but many are old. Years of sanctions have stopped Iran from getting upgrades. Iran focuses more on drones and missiles.
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Israel uses more than 1,000 drones and has a strong layered defence system. It has the Iron Dome for short-range threats, David’s Sling for medium-range, and the Arrow system for long-range missiles. Iran has over 2,500 air defence units including Russian S-300 systems and local missile defences.
Missiles
Iran has more than 3,000 missiles. They include short-range missiles like Shahab-1 (350 km), Shahab-2 (750 km), Qiam-1 (750 km), and the Fateh series. Some are solid-fuel, some liquid-fuel. Iran also has anti-ship missiles and medium-range missiles like Shahab-3, Haj Qasem, and Kheybar Shekan. New hypersonic missiles called Fattah-1 and Fattah-2 can fly at Mach 13 with ranges of 1,400–1,500 km. Other missiles include Ghadr-110, Sejjil, Khorramshahr, Emad, and Etemad. Some European countries are within range, but major US cities are not.
Israel does not fully say what missiles it has. It uses the Jericho series. Jericho 1 was Israel’s first nuclear-capable missile. Jericho 2 is medium-range and still in use but may be retired by 2026. Jericho 3 is advanced and can hit far targets. Israel also has Delilah missiles for precision strikes, Gabriel missiles for ships, and LORA missiles with a 280 km range.
