The latest Israel-Iran conflict started on June 13, as Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities reportedly killed IRGC chief Major General Hossein Salami, signalling a shift from covert skirmishes to open warfare.
The escalation has thrown a spotlight on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Israel Defense Forces—two military powerhouses shaped by different national transformations but now locked in a direct and dangerous confrontation at the heart of the Middle East.
The genesis of the IRGC
According to Britannica, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was established in 1979 in the immediate aftermath of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Born out of a distrust of the traditional armed services, who were trained by the West during Shah’s regime, Iran's clerical leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, conceived the IRGC as a counterweight to the existing military and a "people's army" to safeguard the nascent revolutionary republic.
The IRGC reports directly to the Supreme Leader, bypassing the elected president and operates beyond the bounds of the law and the judiciary.
Its initial aim was to protect the new regime from a coup d'état, a fear rooted in the 1953 overthrow of the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadeq.
The Iran-Iraq War (1980–88) proved to be a crucible for the IRGC, transforming it into a more conventional fighting force with a command structure akin to Western militaries.
Today, the highly institutionalized IRGC remains a force parallel to Iran’s regular armed forces, reportedly commanding upward of 190,000 troops.
Beyond its formidable military duties, which include operating Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal and overseeing the expeditionary Quds Force, the IRGC wields immense influence in Iran’s national politics and economy.
Many IRGC veterans hold senior government roles, and the corps has amassed billions through illicit commercial and financial networks, navigating international sanctions.
The birth of the IDF
The foundations of the Israel Defense Forces trace back to World War I with the formation of the Jewish Legion within the British Army.
Following the fall of the Ottoman Empire and increasing Arab attacks on Jewish settlements, groups like HaShomer and later the Haganah were founded to protect the Jewish community (Yishuv) in Mandatory Palestine, according to the IDF’s official website.
The Haganah, established in 1920, became the backbone of Israel's military upon statehood, evolving during the Arab Revolt of 1936–39.
On May 26, 1948, shortly after Israel’s declaration of independence, defense minister David Ben-Gurion formally established the Israel Defense Forces.
This involved integrating the Haganah, Irgun (a more militant offshoot of the Haganah), and Lehi (the most extreme group, also known as the Stern Gang), along with the Palmach militias.
The IDF secured victory in Israel’s War of Independence (1948-49) against invading Arab armies, establishing initial regional boundaries.
Over the decades, the IDF has been at the forefront of numerous conflicts, including the tripartite invasion of Egypt in 1956, the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Modern capabilities and ongoing confrontations
The Iran-Iraq War transformed the IRGC into a more conventional fighting force, and it now operates Iran's formidable ballistic missile arsenal.
The Quds Force, an expeditionary arm of the IRGC, partners with regional affiliates such as Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are currently engaged in hostilities with Israel in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
A conscript force with men serving 32 months and women 24 months emphasises rapid mobilization and decisive force, operating under the principle that Israel "cannot survive a single lost war, according to the Time magazine.
It has developed sophisticated multi-tier missile defence architecture, including Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, and sometimes US-supplied THAAD systems, to counter evolving threats.