Iran has a ballistic missile programme which experts believe is the biggest in the Middle East – and uses other groups across the region to spread its own influence and interests.
Iran’s attack on Israel was seen by experts as ambitious – but the country has the capability and range to strike further targets across the entire Middle East.
According to the Israel Defence Forces, Iran used 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles and 110 ballistic missiles in its attack.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched the offensive after blaming Israel for an attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, on 1 April.
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Here, we take a look at Iran’s military capabilities.
What is the IRGC?
The IRGC is the dominant branch of the Iranian Armed Forces.
It was set up shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when a movement led by Muslim students led to the overthrowing of the US-backed Pahlavi dynasty.
The IRGC was introduced to provide extra protection for the new regime and to act as a counterweight to the regular armed forces.
It answers to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The IRGC has an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units – some analysts believe the figure is far higher.
It also commands the Basij religious militia, a volunteer paramilitary force loyal to the establishment and which is often used to crack down on anti-government protests.
Analysts say Basij volunteers may number in the millions.
The Quds Force is the IRGC’s foreign espionage and paramilitary arm that heavily influences its allied militia across the Middle East.
Its top commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani, was killed by the US in a drone attack in Iraq in 2020.
The IRGC, which is classified as a terrorist group by the US, wants to shape the Middle East in favour of Tehran.
In 1982, it founded Lebanon’s Hezbollah to export Iran’s Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces which invaded Lebanon that same year.
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 have 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.
