Growing Concerns Over Israeli Air Force Reach in Arab World
According to a report by Military Watch Magazine, following the first Israeli airstrike on Qatar, which targeted Hamas leaders in the capital Doha on September 9, questions are being raised about the extent of the Israeli air force's reach in the Arab world.
After the overthrow of the Syrian government and the dismantling of the Syrian Arab Army in December 2024, which had long been a major force containing Israeli power, Israel has expanded its attacks on regional targets, with airstrikes launched against targets in Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Yemen, alongside a sustained campaign against Gaza. This has been possible despite the age of the Israeli fighter jet fleet, which relies heavily on outdated variants of the F-15 and F-16, lacking advanced phased array radars and other "4th generation+" features of modern variants.
"With only a small number of modern F-35s in service, Israel's military reach has been facilitated primarily by the weakness of its adversaries rather than the strength of its own capabilities," according to the analysis.
In the Middle East and North Africa, Algeria remains the only state to have invested heavily in modern air defense capabilities from non-Western suppliers, its network of radar systems and surface-to-air missiles, as well as its fleets of fighter jets and interceptors, all having been supplied by China and Russia. Algeria accelerated the strengthening of these capabilities from the early 2010s after its neighbor, Libya, suffered an unprovoked and intense Western aerial assault resulting in the execution of its leader and over a decade of chaos.
The backbone of its air defenses is formed by long-range surface-to-air missile systems S-300PMU-2, S-400, and Chinese HQ-9, a significant fleet of over 70 heavy fighter jets Su-30MKA, and recently acquired air superiority fighters Su-35, alongside intermediate-range assets such as BuK-M2 air defense systems and MiG-29M fighters.
"This network is in a league of its own in the region in terms of the challenges it poses to potential attacks by Israel, Turkey, or Western bloc states," the article highlights, noting that the Algerian fleet relies on fighter jets that are on average decades newer than their Israeli or Turkish counterparts.
Although a number of Arab states have invested heavily in acquiring modern fighter jets and air defense systems, not only have training standards generally remained inferior to those of Algeria, but Western political pressure has meant that almost all major purchases have concerned Western systems.
"Such systems are not only heavily downgraded when sold to the majority of Arab clients, with Egypt's F-16 fighter jet fleet being a striking example, but they are also heavily restricted in their use," the analysis explains. Western control over source codes ensures they cannot be used against Western bloc interests, thus guaranteeing freedom of action for Western, Israeli, and Turkish airstrikes against Middle Eastern and North African countries.
Due to the overwhelming dependence on Western equipment of countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, and the underinvestment in air defense capabilities of other countries like Iran, Algeria remains the only country in the region whose airspace is secure against such attacks.
