Lebanon vs. Israel
Military
| Lebanon | Israel | |
|---|---|---|
| Military branches | Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army Command (includes Presidential Guard Brigade, Land Border Regiments), Naval Forces, Air Forces; Lebanese Internal Security Forces Directorate (includes Mobile Gendarmerie); Directorate for General Security (DGS); Directorate General for State Security (2021) note(s) - the commander of the LAF is also the commander of the Army; the LAF patrols external borders, while official checkpoints are under the authority of Customs and Internal Security Forces | Israel Defense Forces (IDF): Ground Forces, Israel Naval Force (IN, includes commandos), Israel Air Force (IAF, includes air defense); Ministry of Public Security: Border Police (2021) note: the Border Police is a unit within the Israel Police with its own organizational and command structure; it works both independently as well as in cooperation with or in support of the Israel Police and Israel Defense Force |
| Military service age and obligation | 17-25 years of age for voluntary military service (including women); no conscription (2019) | 18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druze) military service; 17 years of age for voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 32 months for enlisted men and about 24 months for enlisted women (varies based on military occupation), 48 months for officers; pilots commit to 9-year service; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), age 24 (women) (2020) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 3% of GDP (2020 est.) 4.2% of GDP (2019) 4.9% of GDP (2018) 4.5% of GDP (2017) 5.1% of GDP (2016) | 5% of GDP (2019) 5% of GDP (2018) 5.5% of GDP (2017) 5.5% of GDP (2016) 5.5% of GDP (2015) |
| Military - note | the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) has operated in the country since 1978, originally under UNSCRs 425 and 426 to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore international peace and security and assist the Lebanese Government in restoring its effective authority in the area; following the July-August 2006 war, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1701 enhancing UNIFIL and deciding that in addition to the original mandate, it would, among other things, monitor the cessation of hostilities; accompany and support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as they deploy throughout the south of Lebanon; and extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons; UNIFIL had about 10,000 military personnel deployed in the country as of December 2020 | the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has operated in the Golan between Israel and Syria since 1974 to monitor the ceasefire following the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and supervise the areas of separation between the two countries; as of July 2021, UNDOF consisted of about 1,250 personnel |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have approximately 80,000 active troops (77,000 Army; 1,500 Navy; 1,500 AF) (2021) | the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have approximately 173,000 active personnel (130,000 Ground Forces; 9,000 Naval; 34,000 Air Force) (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the LAF inventory includes a wide mix of mostly older equipment, largely from the US and European countries, particularly France and Germany; since 2010, the US is the leading supplier of armaments (mostly second hand equipment) to Lebanon (2019 est.) | the majority of the IDF's inventory is comprised of weapons that are domestically-produced or imported from Europe and the US; since 2010, the US is by far the leading supplier of arms to Israel, followed by Germany; Israel has a broad defense industrial base that can develop, produce, support, and sustain a wide variety of weapons systems for both domestic use and export, particularly armored vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, air defense, and guided missiles (2021) |
Source: CIA Factbook
