Labda huelewi. Marekani haijawahi kushiriki vita ya Israel dhidi ya mahasimu wake.
Msaada pekee ambao Israel inaupata kutoka Marekani ni sawa na ule inaoupata Ukraine au tulioupata sisi toka Cuba dhidi ya Uganda. Ni msaada wa silaha na fedha, lakini siyo kwente uwanja wa mapambanao.
Uwezo wa kwenye uwanja wa mapambano wa Irael, hasa upande wa anga, Dunia nzima inajua na hata Iran inajua, ni far better than Iran, na unakaribiana sana na ule wa Marekani.
Marekani inaizidi sana Israel kwa utajiri na ukubwa wa jeshi, lakini siyo kwenye mbinu za kijeshi.
How strong is Iran's air force?
The Iranian air force has 37,000 personnel, but has only a
few dozen working strike aircraft, including Russian jets and aging U.S. models acquired before the Iranian revolution of 1979. Tehran has a squadron of nine F-4 and F-5 fighter jets, some F-7s and F-14s, plus one squadron of Russian-made Sukhoi-24 jets and some MiG-29s.
Iran has the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East, which includes thousands of ballistic and cruise missiles, according to a 2021 report.
But Israel has one of the most technologically advanced missile arsenals in the Middle East, it states.
"Iran might have a larger army or population to draw upon," Shaikh said. "But if a full war breaks out, a lot of the initial fighting will be through air and missile power. And that's where Israel holds strong advantages."
Iran's main advantage against Israel has always been being able to attack through its proxies — including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in south Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
"If you are targeting Iran, you are often targeting its proxies instead,"
Meanwhile, one distinct advantage Israel holds is its air force, considered one of the most advanced in the world.
Israel has an advanced, U.S.-supplied air force with hundreds of F-15, F-16 and F-35 multipurpose jet fighters.
"That is a major advantage, especially in the early stages of an Iran-Israel conflict. Iran is still using decades-old aircraft," said Shaikh.