Tensions between Israel and Iran have been rising in recent months. An attack of around 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran on October 1, hit various targets within Israel including in the Nevatim Air Base which houses Israel’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. This seems to be in response to Israel’s beeper blow up in mid-September. Either way, hostilities between these two countries are ramping up and it could lead to a full-fledged war. (What happens if Israel and Iran go to war.)
With both countries boasting significant military capabilities, an all-out war would be a massive conflict with major implications for the Middle East in general. Not to mention, there would also be huge implications for the air, ground, and naval forces of both Iran and Israel.
24/7 Wall St. is taking a look at how each of these countries measure up on a few different levels.
In terms of manpower, Iran holds a significant numerical advantage, with 610,000 active personnel, while Israel has 170,000 active personnel. However, Israel’s military is highly specialized and employs much more advanced technology on the battlefield. On the other hand, much of Iran’s military is using outdated or poorly maintained equipment–this will be a recurring theme.
On the ground, both countries have substantial armored capabilities, and again Iran holds a numerical edge with 1,996 tanks compared to Israel’s 1,370. However, Israel again has technological superiority with its newer and more advanced Merkava tanks.
In the air, Israel has one of the more advanced air forces in the world, with over 600 aircraft, including F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters. Iran is still pushing fighter aircraft from the 1970s that it purchased from the U.S., needless to say, 50 years of technology and stealth capabilities hardly make this a fair fight. (Every attack helicopter, fighter jet, and aircraft in the Israeli Air Force.)
Also, for some quick background, Iran acquired 80 F-14 Tomcats from the U.S. just before the Iranian Revolution. Although Iran has been facing some problems in maintaining these jets in the post-revolution years because of international sanctions, the Iranian Air Force has still managed to keep many of these fighters operational.
While Iran’s missile forces and regional proxies, like Hezbollah, could complicate things for Israel, the war’s outcome would likely be decided by Israel’s superior technology and air power.
These are just two countries in the Middle East that are almost in open conflict, and 24/7 Wall St. is taking a look at the lot of them. We are comparing which of these countries have the strongest miliary forces.
To determine the countries with the strongest military might in the Middle East, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well. We included supplemental information regarding active military personnel, military aircraft, vehicles, and naval power as well.
Here is a look at the strongest militaries in the Middle East:
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the military dynamics in the Middle East is essential given the region’s historical and ongoing geopolitical tensions. For decades, the Middle East has been shaped by conflicts, religious divisions, and territorial disputes, making it a hotspot for conflict. Whether it’s Iran’s growing influence or the strategic role of countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel, the military forces in this region heavily influence global security and energy markets.
17. Lebanon
- Active military personnel: 60,000
- Reserve military personnel: 35,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 65,000
- Total military personnel: 160,000
- Total military aircraft: 81
- Total helicopters: 69
- Total military vehicles: 4,522
- Total tanks: 204
- Total artillery units: 458
- Total navy ships and submarines: 69
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.4283 – #118 out of 145
Lebanon has a total population of 5.3 million, of this population 1.8 million are fit to serve in the military.
16. Afghanistan
- Active military personnel: 0
- Reserve military personnel: 0
- Paramilitary personnel: 80,000
- Total military personnel: 80,000
- Total military aircraft: 17
- Total helicopters: 11
- Total military vehicles: 6,555
- Total tanks: 0
- Total artillery units: 0
- Total navy ships and submarines: 0
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.2715 – #115 out of 145
Afghanistan has a total population of 39.2 million, of this population 8.6 million are fit to serve in the military.
15. Bahrain
- Active military personnel: 18,400
- Reserve military personnel: 110,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 1,500
- Total military personnel: 129,900
- Total military aircraft: 120
- Total helicopters: 74
- Total military vehicles: 2,598
- Total tanks: 180
- Total artillery units: 64
- Total navy ships and submarines: 58
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.7163 – #86 out of 145
Bahrain has a total population of 1.6 million, of this population 714,788 are fit to serve in the military.
14. Yemen
- Active military personnel: 66,700
- Reserve military personnel: 0
- Paramilitary personnel: 20,000
- Total military personnel: 86,700
- Total military aircraft: 177
- Total helicopters: 61
- Total military vehicles: 4,800
- Total tanks: 55
- Total artillery units: 26
- Total navy ships and submarines: 38
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4692 – #81 out of 145
Yemen has a total population of 31.6 million, of this population 8.9 million are fit to serve in the military.
13. Jordan
- Active military personnel: 100,500
- Reserve military personnel: 65,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 35,000
- Total military personnel: 200,500
- Total military aircraft: 265
- Total helicopters: 148
- Total military vehicles: 24,148
- Total tanks: 1,365
- Total artillery units: 283
- Total navy ships and submarines: 27
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4651 – #80 out of 145
Jordan has a total population of 11.0 million, of this population 3.0 million are fit to serve in the military.
12. Oman
- Active military personnel: 42,600
- Reserve military personnel: 100,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 10,000
- Total military personnel: 152,600
- Total military aircraft: 128
- Total helicopters: 31
- Total military vehicles: 5,019
- Total tanks: 154
- Total artillery units: 165
- Total navy ships and submarines: 22
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4448 – #78 out of 145
Oman has a total population of 3.8 million, of this population 1.3 million are fit to serve in the military.
11. Kuwait
- Active military personnel: 72,000
- Reserve military personnel: 24,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 7,500
- Total military personnel: 103,500
- Total military aircraft: 144
- Total helicopters: 60
- Total military vehicles: 4,409
- Total tanks: 367
- Total artillery units: 74
- Total navy ships and submarines: 123
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.4261 – #77 out of 145
Kuwait has a total population of 3.1 million, of this population 1.4 million are fit to serve in the military.
10. Qatar
- Active military personnel: 66,550
- Reserve military personnel: 15,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 5,500
- Total military personnel: 87,050
- Total military aircraft: 228
- Total helicopters: 67
- Total military vehicles: 5,544
- Total tanks: 99
- Total artillery units: 58
- Total navy ships and submarines: 123
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.0789 – #63 out of 145
Qatar has a total population of 2.5 million, of this population 486,164 are fit to serve in the military.
9. Syria
- Active military personnel: 170,000
- Reserve military personnel: 50,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 50,000
- Total military personnel: 270,000
- Total military aircraft: 452
- Total helicopters: 153
- Total military vehicles: 14,550
- Total tanks: 2,720
- Total artillery units: 2,695
- Total navy ships and submarines: 47
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.0026 – #60 out of 145
Syria has a total population of 22.9 million, of this population 12.7 million are fit to serve in the military.
8. United Arab Emirates
- Active military personnel: 65,000
- Reserve military personnel: 130,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 12,000
- Total military personnel: 207,000
- Total military aircraft: 560
- Total helicopters: 246
- Total military vehicles: 12,253
- Total tanks: 354
- Total artillery units: 282
- Total navy ships and submarines: 79
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.8083 – #51 out of 145
The United Arab Emirates has a total population of 10.0 million, of this population 4.9 million are fit to serve in the military.
7. Iraq
- Active military personnel: 193,000
- Reserve military personnel: 0
- Paramilitary personnel: 100,000
- Total military personnel: 293,000
- Total military aircraft: 371
- Total helicopters: 197
- Total military vehicles: 39,872
- Total tanks: 848
- Total artillery units: 1,727
- Total navy ships and submarines: 68
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.7441 – #45 out of 145
Iraq has a total population of 41.2 million, of this population 14.0 million are fit to serve in the military.
6. Saudi Arabia
- Active military personnel: 257,000
- Reserve military personnel: 0
- Paramilitary personnel: 150,000
- Total military personnel: 407,000
- Total military aircraft: 914
- Total helicopters: 262
- Total military vehicles: 20,694
- Total tanks: 1,485
- Total artillery units: 3,253
- Total navy ships and submarines: 57
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.3235 – #23 out of 145
Saudi Arabia has a total population of 36.0 million, of this population 17.2 million are fit to serve in the military.
5. Israel
- Active military personnel: 170,000
- Reserve military personnel: 465,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 35,000
- Total military personnel: 670,000
- Total military aircraft: 612
- Total helicopters: 146
- Total military vehicles: 43,407
- Total tanks: 1,370
- Total artillery units: 950
- Total navy ships and submarines: 67
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2596 – #17 out of 145
Israel has a total population of 9.0 million, of this population 3.2 million are fit to serve in the military.
4. Egypt
- Active military personnel: 440,000
- Reserve military personnel: 480,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 300,000
- Total military personnel: 1,220,000
- Total military aircraft: 1,080
- Total helicopters: 338
- Total military vehicles: 77,596
- Total tanks: 5,340
- Total artillery units: 3,046
- Total navy ships and submarines: 140
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2283 – #15 out of 145
Egypt has a total population of 109.5 million, of this population 37.7 million are fit to serve in the military.
3. Iran
- Active military personnel: 610,000
- Reserve military personnel: 350,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 220,000
- Total military personnel: 1,180,000
- Total military aircraft: 551
- Total helicopters: 129
- Total military vehicles: 65,765
- Total tanks: 1,996
- Total artillery units: 2,630
- Total navy ships and submarines: 101
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2269 – #14 out of 145
Iran has a total population of 87.6 million, of this population 41.2 million are fit to serve in the military.
2. Pakistan
- Active military personnel: 654,000
- Reserve military personnel: 550,000
- Paramilitary personnel: 500,000
- Total military personnel: 1,704,000
- Total military aircraft: 1,434
- Total helicopters: 352
- Total military vehicles: 50,523
- Total tanks: 3,742
- Total artillery units: 3,990
- Total navy ships and submarines: 114
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.1711 – #9 out of 145
Pakistan has a total population of 247.7 million, of this population 84.2 million are fit to serve in the military.
1. Turkey
- Active military personnel: 355,200
- Reserve military personnel: 378,700
- Paramilitary personnel: 150,000
- Total military personnel: 883,900
- Total military aircraft: 1,069
- Total helicopters: 502
- Total military vehicles: 55,104
- Total tanks: 2,231
- Total artillery units: 2,785
- Total navy ships and submarines: 186
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
Turkey has a total population of 83.6 million, of this population 3.6 million are fit to serve in the military.
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