Fifth day of war: How Iran and Israel are testing each other's limits

Report by Wissam Nasrallah, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

On the fifth day of open warfare between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Israel claims to have destroyed nearly 40% of Iran's missile launch platforms. 

Yet, Iranian rockets continue to rain down on Tel Aviv and other cities, raising questions over who holds the upper hand in this increasingly complex military confrontation.

An imbalance in equipment, strategy, and geography shapes the military landscape. Israel operates a fleet of over 600 aircraft, with 45% classified as advanced fighter jets—among them the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the stealth-capable F-35 Lightning II. 

In contrast, Iran fields 551 aircraft, many of which are outdated models inherited from the Shah's era. Despite Russian and Chinese upgrades, Iranian aircraft remain largely incapable of matching Israel's airpower, especially given their limited range and vulnerability to Israeli air defenses.

Israel's layered missile defense system—developed over decades—offers multi-tiered protection, yet it has struggled to withstand Iran's saturation tactics. Tehran has launched waves of ballistic missiles, interspersed with drones and cruise missiles, in a deliberate effort to overwhelm and confuse Israeli radar systems. The sheer volume has made intercepting every threat nearly impossible.

On the Iranian side, air defenses remain largely obsolete. 

Systems such as the Russian-made S-200 and S-300PMU-2, as well as the domestically produced Khordad-15, have shown limited effectiveness. This was evident in recent days as Israeli warplanes penetrated deep into Iranian airspace, following significant damage inflicted on Iran's air defense grid during Israeli strikes in October 2024.

Despite these vulnerabilities, Iran wields considerable asymmetric capabilities. It relies heavily on mobile missile launchers hidden underground or nestled in mountainous regions, posing a significant challenge for precision targeting. Many of these sites are shielded within fortified tunnel networks designed to evade both radar detection and thermal imaging.

Additionally, Iran's extensive use of drones has played a critical role in this conflict. 

Models such as the Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 have been deployed in large numbers, exploiting low-altitude flight paths and pre-programmed routes to avoid detection.