Israel’s attack on Iran targeted the “heart” of the country’s nuclear programme – including its facilities, ballistic missile factories, and top military chiefs.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have said that Operation Rising Lion was “pre-emptive”. It was undertaken to stop Iran producing a nuclear weapon “in a very short time”, according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
The attack came despite warnings from US President Donald Trump – who said intervention could “blow” US nuclear deal talks with Iran, which is believed to be rapidly advancing its nuclear programme.
Iran’s leader vowed to deliver “heavy blows” in response to the attack, and overnight on Friday launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, injuring dozens of people.
But what are Iran’s military capabilities – and to what extent do they pose a significant threat?
The IRGC
The IRGC – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – was set up to provide extra protection to the Islamic regime in 1979, and is the dominant branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.
The Revolutionary Guard – which had several senior leaders killed in Israel’s strikes – oversees Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
What are the IRGC’s military capabilities?
The IRGC has ground, air and naval capabilities – and oversees Iran’s ballistic missile programme, regarded by experts as the largest in the Middle East.
It has used the missiles to hit militants in Syria and northern Iraq.
The US, European nations and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for a 2019 missile and drone attack which crippled the world’s biggest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.
Iran denied any involvement in the assault.
The IRGC has its own intelligence wing and has extensive conventional combat hardware, which it showcased with its involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
Experts believe its stock of cruise and ballistic missiles has the ability and range to hit any target within the Middle East region.
According to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the region.
What do we know about the Iranian missile range?
The semi-official Iranian news outlet ISNA in April last year published details of missiles it said could reach Israel.
These included the Sejil, which is capable of flying at more than 10,500mph and has a range of 1,550 miles.
Another one, the Kheibar, has a range of 1,240 miles – while the Haj Qasem can reach targets 870 miles away.
Iran says its ballistic missiles are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the US, Israel and other potential regional targets. It denies seeking nuclear weapons.
Iran had previously said it had built an advanced homemade drone named Mohajer-10 with an operational range of 1,240 miles.
It can fly for up to 24 hours with a payload of up to 300kg (660lbs), the Iranians claimed.
In the summer of 2023, Iran presented what officials described as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and can take a complex trajectory, making them difficult to intercept.
The Arms Control Association, a Washington-based non-governmental organisation, says Iran’s missile programme is largely based on North Korean and Russian designs and has also received Chinese assistance.
It says Iran’s short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles include Shahab-1, with an estimated range of 190 miles.
Iran has cruise missiles such as Kh-55, an air-launched nuclear-capable weapon with a range of up to 1,860 miles.
An advanced anti-ship missile, the Khalid Farzh, with an approximate range of 186 miles, is capable of carrying a 1.1-tonne warhead.
How does Iran use other military groups?
Iran has been backing groups which have been attacking Israel, US interests, and Red Sea shipping.
This is in addition to its own rounds of retaliation with Israel, following post-October 7 2023 tensions in the region.
Built up over decades of Iranian support, the groups describe themselves as the “Axis of Resistance” to Israel and US influence in the Middle East.
The axis includes the Palestinian group, Hamas – but also the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and the Houthi movement in Yemen, alongside various armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah was set up by the IRGC in 1982 with the aim of fighting Israeli forces which had invaded Lebanon that year.
The heavily armed group, also an influential political player, is widely regarded as more powerful than the Lebanese state.
The Houthi movement established control over large parts of Yemen during a civil war, which began in 2014 when it overthrew the government, which was backed by Saudi Arabia – Iran’s main rival for regional influence.
The Houthis have long had friendly ties to Iran.
The movement announced at the end of October 2023 that it had entered the Gaza conflict by firing drones and missiles towards Israel – and later attacked shipping in the southern Red Sea.
The US believes the IRGC was helping to plan and carry out the Houthi missile and drone attacks, but Iran denies any involvement.
The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy.
What are Iran’s nuclear capabilities?
The UN nuclear watchdog’s board of governors has found that Iran has not been complying with its nuclear obligations for the first time in 20 years – after it vowed to open a new uranium enrichment facility “in a secure location”.
The country’s supreme leader made clear in June 2023 how Western nations cannot prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons.
At the time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said a deal with the West was possible, but only if its nuclear infrastructure remained intact.
Iran has always denied having any intention to build a nuclear weapon.
