Tel Aviv: Israels conflict with Iran may look like a mismatch on paper - a nation of nine million people taking on a giant of the Middle East, home to 88 million. But Israels formidable and sophisticated military forces - with an arsenal largely, but not exclusively, provided by the United States - are enabling it to overpower a much larger enemy.
According to BBC, in recent days Israels air force has continued to target ground-based radar and launchers. Even before the attack got under way, Israel had intelligence operatives inside Iran preparing to disrupt its response. Mossad agents used drones smuggled into the country to target Irans remaining air defence systems. Israeli attacks also wiped out many in Irans top level of command, which would have also undermined Irans response.
Before Israel began its attacks, Iran had what the US described as the "largest ballistic missile arsenal" in the Middle East. Estimates vary from between 2,000 to 3,000. Some of those, and the factories in which they were produced, have already been hit by Israel. The IDF also says it has destroyed a third of Irans surface-to-surface launchers. Nevertheless, Tehran has still been able to fire wave after wave of missiles into Israel, and some have penetrated its sophisticated air defences.
Justin Bronk, of the defence think tank Rusi, said that while Israel may now be able to claim air superiority over Tehran, it has still not achieved air dominance and the threat of short range missiles remain. Iran has for years invested in Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon with military advice, weapons and technology. But their ability to threaten Israel on its frontiers has been greatly diminished by Israeli action over the last two years: Hamas has been all but destroyed in Gaza, and Hezbollahs potency reduced to the point where it has not responded to Israels attack on its paymaster.
Iran has the ability to strike western interests in the region. Iranian-backed militant groups in Iraq have targeted western military bases in the region. The US and the UK have been preparing for the worst. There are still around 100 UK personnel based in Baghdad alongside the US military. Their safety is one reason why Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, recently ordered additional RAF Typhoon jets to Cyprus.
Israel has the upper hand, but the continuation of its military campaign is still largely dependent on US backing. It receives billions of dollars of US military aid each year. Most of the weapons being fired from their American-made jets have been flown in from the US. Even some of the interceptor missiles for its own Iron Dome air defences are made in the US. The "bunker busting" bombs Israel has been using to target Irans underground nuclear programme are mostly US-supplied. Donald Trump, the US president, has so far been willing to back their use, though it is reported that he vetoed Israeli plans to target Irans Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.