The first Israeli air strike on Qatar, targeting Hamas leadership in Doha on September 9, 2025, marked a major turning point in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. This event was not merely a military operation, but a bold declaration of Israel’s intent to extend its strikes into the very heart of the Arab world. It has since raised pressing questions about the true extent and sustainability of Israeli air power.
These developments follow the collapse of the Syrian state in December 2024 and the dismantling of the Syrian Arab Army, which for decades had served as the primary regional force containing Israeli expansionism. Since Syria’s fall, Israel has moved swiftly to fill the strategic vacuum, launching strikes in Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Yemen, while continuing its relentless campaign against Gaza.
Israeli Air Power: Real Superiority or Exploited Vulnerability?
Although often portrayed as the region’s most formidable air force, Israel’s air capabilities are built on fragile foundations. Its fleet is still dominated by aging F-15s and F-16s, most lacking active phased-array radars and other features characteristic of “4+ generation” aircraft. The limited number of F-35 stealth fighters acquired from the United States remains insufficient to secure long-term dominance.
Thus, Israel’s ability to expand its air campaigns is less a product of its own technological superiority than of the acute vulnerability of its adversaries. Fragmented states, weakened militaries, and underdeveloped air defence networks have created a permissive environment for Israeli operations.
Algeria: A Fortress in a Region of Fragility
Amid this regional weakness, Algeria stands out as the only Arab state to have systematically invested in a modern and independent air defence architecture. Unlike most of its neighbors, Algeria deliberately rejected dependency on Western systems, instead procuring advanced technologies from Russia and China. This choice has granted not only more capable hardware but also greater political and operational freedom.
Algeria’s layered defence network includes Russian S-300PMU-2 and S-400 systems, alongside the Chinese HQ-9 for long-range interception, reinforced by medium-range Buk-M2 batteries. In the skies, Algeria operates more than 70 Su-30MKA heavyweight fighters, newly acquired Su-35 air superiority jets, and modern MiG-29M multirole aircraft. This combination forms an integrated shield capable of both denying hostile incursions and projecting credible retaliatory power.
The drive to strengthen these defences accelerated after 2011, when Libya suffered a devastating Western air campaign that ended with the execution of its leader and plunged the country into ongoing chaos. For Algeria, the lesson was clear: any Arab state without an air shield becomes an easy target for foreign intervention and disintegration.
Arab Militaries’ Dependence on the West
By contrast, most Arab states remain locked in dependency on Western military systems. Egypt’s fleet of F-16s, for instance, is widely cited as a prime example of downgraded export models stripped of advanced capabilities. Saudi Arabia and Jordan, despite massive defense spending, operate systems whose source codes remain under Western control, rendering them politically and operationally constrained.
This dependency fosters a dual weakness: technological inferiority and political subordination. Western powers effectively ensure that such systems cannot be employed against their own interests or those of Israel. The frequency of Israeli and Western strikes across the region is proof of this dynamic: they operate without fear of a meaningful retaliatory response.
Iran, despite significant progress in ballistic missile development, still lacks a fully integrated air defence network comparable to Algeria’s. With Syria dismantled and Libya fragmented, Algeria stands alone as the sole Arab state able to guarantee sovereignty over its skies.
Algeria: The Last Arab Line of Defence
As Israel pushes its air campaigns deeper into the Arab world, the strategic significance of Algeria’s military posture becomes increasingly evident. By rejecting dependency on Western suppliers, Algeria has preserved both its political independence and its technological sovereignty. Today, it remains the only Arab state with the capacity to deny Israel—or even NATO—uncontested access to its airspace.
In effect, Algeria has become the last fortress in the Arab skies. Drawing lessons from the tragedies of Libya, Syria, and Iraq, it has built a shield strong enough to deter aggression and safeguard national independence. Ultimately, sovereignty begins in the skies: a nation that leaves its airspace open to hostile incursions is already a defeated nation.
By Belgacem Merbah
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