The beginning of a direct military conflict between Iran and Israel has renewed attention on the Iranian military. Earlier this month, Israel attacked an Iranian diplomatic compound in the Syrian capital Damascus, killing a senior Iranian commander and seven military personnel.
Iran vowed to retaliate and did so nearly two weeks later, launching a massive airstrike using hundreds of drones and missiles on targets inside Israel and territory it controls on Saturday.
Here we take a look at Iran's military and its capabilities.
Why is Iran's military involved now?
Israeli officials have said they would respond to any attack by Iran with a counterattack, which could prompt further Iranian retaliation and escalate into a broader regional war. Although the US government has made it clear that it is unrelated to the Damascus attack, such a conflict could even prolong the US.
Analysts say Iran's adversaries, primarily the United States and Israel, have avoided direct military attacks on Iran for decades, not wanting to become entangled with Tehran's complex military apparatus. Instead, Israel and Iran have waged a long shadow war of air, sea, land, and cyber attacks, with Israel covertly targeting military and nuclear facilities inside Iran and targeting commanders and scientists. Killed.
“There's a reason why Iran hasn't been attacked,” said Afshon Ostwal, an associate professor of national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and an expert on Iran's military. “It's not that Iran's adversaries are afraid of Iran; it's that they realize that any war against Iran is a very serious war.”
What military threats does Iran pose?
Iran's military is the largest in the Middle East, with at least 580,000 active-duty troops and about 200,000 trained reservists in traditional forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to last year's annual review by the International Institute. I know. For strategic research.
The Army and Guard each have independently operating land, air, and navy forces, and the Guard is responsible for guarding Iran's borders. The Armed Forces General Staff coordinates the branches and sets overall strategy.
The Guard also operates the Quds Force, an elite force responsible for arming, training and supporting a network of proxy militias across the Middle East known as the “Axis of Resistance.” These militias include Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Syria and Iraq, and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.
The supreme commander of the Iranian military is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who has the final say on all important decisions.
Although proxy militias are not counted as part of Iran's military, analysts say they are considered a combat-ready, heavily armed and ideologically loyal allied regional force that could be used if Iran were attacked. He said he may be able to help.
Fabian Hintz, an Iranian military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Berlin, said: “The level of support and type of systems that Iran has provided to non-state actors is truly unprecedented in terms of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.'' It is a thing,” he said. “They could be considered part of the military capabilities of Iran, especially Hezbollah, which has the closest strategic ties to Iran.”
What types of weapons does Iran have?
For decades, Iran's military strategy has been centered on deterrence and focused on developing highly accurate, long-range missiles, drones, and air defense systems. The company has built a large flotilla of high-speed boats and several small submarines capable of disrupting shipping traffic and the world's energy supplies through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.
Ostwal said Iran has the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones in the Middle East. This includes cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and even ballistic missiles with ranges of up to 2,000 kilometers (more than 1,200 miles). They have the capability and range to strike any target in the Middle East, including Israel.
In recent years, Iran has built a large inventory of drones with a range of about 1,200 to 1,550 miles and the ability to fly low to avoid radar, according to experts and Iranian commanders who gave public interviews to state media. It is said that there is Iran has made no secret of its growing military capabilities, displaying a treasure trove of drones and missiles during military parades, and has ambitions to build a large export business in drones. Iranian drones have been used by Russia in Ukraine and have surfaced in the Sudanese conflict.
Experts say the country's bases and storage facilities are difficult to destroy with airstrikes because they are widely dispersed, buried deep underground and fortified with air defenses.
Where does Iran get its weapons from?
International sanctions have cut Iran off from high-tech weapons and military equipment made overseas, including tanks and fighter jets.
During the eight-year war between Iran and Iraq in the 1980s, few countries wanted to sell arms to Iran. When Khamenei became Iran's supreme leader in 1989, a year after the end of the war, he commissioned the Guard to develop a domestic arms industry and poured resources into that effort, which was widely reported in Iranian news media. He wanted to ensure that Iran would never again have to rely on foreign powers for its defense needs.
How do other countries view Iran's military, and what are Iran's weaknesses?
Iran's military is considered the strongest in the region in terms of equipment, cohesiveness, experience and quality of personnel, but experts say it is far behind the power and sophistication of the militaries of the United States, Israel and some European countries. said. Said.
Iran's biggest weakness is its air power. Many of the country's aircraft were built during the era of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who led Iran from 1941 to 1979, and many are out of service due to a lack of spare parts. Experts say the country also bought a small fleet from Russia in the 1990s.
Experts say Iran's tanks and armored vehicles are old and the country has only a few large warships. U.S. officials said two intelligence vessels deployed in the Red Sea, Sabiz and Beshad, helped the Houthis identify Israeli-owned ships to attack.
Will an Israeli attack disrupt Iran's military?
The assassination of a senior military official is expected to have a short-term impact on Iran's regional operations, as it removes a commander with years of experience and ties to the heads of allied militias.
Nevertheless, the chain of command for Iran's domestic military remains intact, experts say.