Number of soldiers
Iran has 610,000 active personnel in total with 350,000 in the army, 190,000 in the IRGC, 18,000 in the navy, 37,000 in the air force and 15,000 in air defence, as well as a reserve army of 350,000, according to
Al Jazeera.
The report also said that the Israeli military has 169,500 active personnel, including 126,000 in the army, 9,500 in the navy, 34,000 in the air force and a reserve army of 465,000.
Defence spending
According to a
report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published in April, Iran’s military spending fell by 10 per cent to $7.9 billion in 2024, attributed to the impact of sanctions on Iran.
SIPRI also revealed that Israel’s military expenditure grew by 65pc to $46.5bn in 2024 — a surge from 2023, due to its onslaught on Gaza which has
killed over 55,000 Palestinians.
Air Force
Israel has 345 combat-capable aircraft and 43 attack helicopters, according to
Al Jazeera. The outlet also revealed that the Iranian air force has 312 combat-capable aircraft, and the IRGC has 23, adding that the air force also has two attack helicopters, the army has 50, and the IRGC has five.
Despite pronouncements made by Iran on the restoration of air force following attacks in Oct, Israel struck Iran with “near impunity”,
Forbes reported, saying that the “sheer neglect” of Iran’s conventional military, apparent in its air force, made today’s attack possible.
Iranian airframe, including MiG-29, is at least 35 years old, with no recent substantial upgrades, the report said. Iran’s F-14A Tomcats were around half a century old, while the third-generation IRIAF F-4 Phantom IIs and F-5 Tigers were among the last in service globally,
Forbes added.
Ground forces
Iran owned at least 10,513 battle tanks, 6,798 artillery guns and more than 640 armoured personnel carriers,
Al Jazeera said, adding that the army has 50 helicopters, while the IRGC has five helicopters.
Israel has around 400 battle tanks, 530 artillery guns and over 1,190 personnel carriers, the outlet added.
Navy
While Israel has five submarines, and 49 patrol and coastal combatants, the Iranian navy has 17 tactical submarines, 68 patrol and coastal combatants, seven corvettes, 12 landing ships, 11 landing craft, and 18 logistics and support vehicles,
Al Jazeera reported.
Ballistic missiles
Iran has at least 12 different types of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles, ranging from the Tondar 69, with a range of 150 km (93 miles), to the Khorramshahr and Sejjil, with ranges of up to 2,000 km (1,243 miles), according to
Al Jazeera.
Israel has at least four different types of small, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, which range from the LORA with a range of 280km (174 miles) to the Jericho-3 with a range between 4,800km (2,983 miles) and 6,500km (4,039 miles), it added.