Israel has hailed its successful air defences in the face of an unprecedented attack by Iran, saying it and its allies thwarted 99 per cent of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched towards its territory.
But regional tensions remain high, amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counter-strike.
Iran launched the attack in response to a strike widely blamed on Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month which killed two Iranian generals.
Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles early on Sunday.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the IDF was 'ready for any scenario', MailOnline outlines Iran's £800million arsenal that could be used to hit Israel.
An Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Shahed-136, is being displayed at the Azadi (Freedom) Square in western Tehran, Iran, on February 11, 2024
Objects are seen in the sky above Jerusalem after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israelyesterday
handout picture provided by the Iranian Army media office on January 19, 2024, shows the launch of a missile during a military drill at an undisclosed location in southern Iran
More than 170 Iranian drones were involved in the attack on Israel last night. The country's Shaded drones have a range of more than 1,500 miles and can transport warheads weighing 80 pounds (170kg), according to theMirror.
This type of kamikaze drone can be launched in batches of five or more at a time and can hit ground targets from a distance.The Shaded drones and other types of kamikaze drones held by Iran will explode on impact.
Last August Iran also announced that it created a more advanced drone, the Mohajer-10, which can transport loads of up to 660 pounds (300kg) for 24 hours while covering a range of 1,250 miles.
EXCLUSIVEREAD MORE:Iran's drone and missile attack against Israel is deadly 'face-saving' exercise that represents a 'massive escalation' in the war in the Middle East, ex-British military intelligence chief warns
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Iran does have at its disposal a formidable array of missiles and highly capable drones - undoubtedly the most numerous and diverse in the Middle East - which it hopes to employ to deal punishing strikes on Israel.
Justin Crump, British Army veteran and CEO of strategic intelligence company Sibylline, estimates Iran has no less than nine different missile systems at its disposal capable of delivering effective strikes on Israeli territory.
One of the nine is the Sejil, a 1,550mile-range missile which can reach speeds of10,500mph. There is also the Kheibar missile, which has a range of 1,240miles, the medium-range Shahab-3 missile as well as the Ghadr, Paveh and Fattah-2 missiles.
Furthermore Iranian news outlets reported that the country has a missile called Haj Qasem, which was named after a commander who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad. The missile has a range of 870 miles.
Another deadly missile is the highly precise Emad, which can carry 1650 pounds (750kg) of warheads over a range of 1,056 miles.
Iran enjoys a heavy advantage in terms of sheer manpower over Israel, boasting a collective active and reserve military of roughly 1.2 million troops as well as thousands upon thousands of artillery systems.
Israel meanwhile has around 750,000 active and military personnel at its disposal - but hundreds of thousands of these are already engaged in operations in and around Gaza, while others maintain a presence in the north to ward off border attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A handout picture provided by the Iranian Army media office on January 19, 2024, shows the launch of a missile during a military drill at an undisclosed location in southern Iran
A drone is launched during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on August 25, 2022
Missiles entering Israeli airspace, with images from international media revealing missiles being intercepted by the Iron Dome system above Jerusalemyesterday
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Army office on 19 January 2024 shows a missile being launched during a military drill in the Persian Gulf, southern Iran
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, January 15, 2024
Drones are seen at a site at an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on April 20, 2023
A missile is launched during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in the south of Iran, in this handout image obtained on January 19, 2024
But a ground assault is highly unlikely, as 600 miles separate the borders of the two countries, with Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia between them.
Even if Iran were try and send troops via Iraq and Syria to approach Israel, they would be met with an immediate response from US forces.
READ MORE:Hamas gloat that Iran attack on Israel was 'natural right and deserved' as 300 drones and missiles rained down on them, leaving schoolgirl, seven, with serious injuries despite most being stopped
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With a naval battle also highly unlikely, the conflict between the countries will likely continue in the form of aerial assaults by air forces, missiles and drones.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) certainly has the upper hand over its adversary, flying the very best US-manufactured combat aircraft including the formidable F-35 stealth fighter-bomber, and F-15 and F-16 fighter jets specifically designed according to IAF requirements.
It is also believed to have more combat aircraft at its disposal, outstripping theIslamic Republic of Iran's Air Force (IRIAF) by more than 100 units.
The IRIAF has managed to pull together a wide variety of aircraft into a coherent force that encompasses older generation F-14 Tomcat fighters, Iranian manufactured jets based on the US F-4 and F-5 series jets, and an assortment of Russian and Chinese manufactured combat aircraft.
Israel and Iranhave for years been engaged in a shadow war marked by incidents such as the Damascus strike.
But Sunday's assault, which set off air raid sirens across Israel, marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Israel has over the years established - often with the help of the United States - a multilayered air defence network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets.
A drone is launched during a military exercise in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on October 4, 2023
Drones or missiles vying for targets at undisclosed locations in northern Israel yesterday
Missiles which began to enter Israeli airspace were seen in video shared with MailOnline
Fighters from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah carry out a training exercise in Aaramta village in the Jezzine District, southern Lebanon, Sunday, May 21, 2023
Iran warned arch foe Israel on April 2 that it will punish an air strike that killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals
Iran has said it had attacked Israel in 'self-defence' following the April 1 strike on its diplomatic mission in Damascus, which was widely blamed on Israel. Pictured are missiles yesterday
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Lebanon towards Israel over the Israeli Lebanese border, as seen from northern Israel, April 12, 2024
That system, along with collaboration with US and other forces, helped thwart what could have been a far more devastating assault at a time when Israel is already bogged down in its war against Hamas in Gaza and engaged in low-level fighting on its northern border with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran.
Hamas welcomed Iran's attack, saying it was 'a natural right and a deserved response' to the strike in Syria and urged the Iran-backed groups in the region to continue to support Hamas in the war against Israel.
Almost immediately after the war erupted, Hezbollah began attacking Israel's northern border.
The two sides have been involved in daily exchanges of fire, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles towards Israel.
