Israel has refueling tankers for its attack planes, surveillance drones and sophisticated F-35 fighter jets, theoretically enabling it to strike at Iran’s nuclear sites without having to rely on American aircraft. But it is likely Israel could not inflict the level of damage that U.S. bombers could achieve.

Despite the supreme leader’s stated religious objections to nuclear weapons, Tehran has been steadily making progress on its nuclear weapons capabilities over the course of the past year.