IAF

The IAF's secretary general, Wael Saqqa, insisted that it was an independent political party, explaining that it had "no relationship with any other organisational body".

However, the group continued its political and other activities, and the IAF participated in last year's parliamentary elections, winning 31 out of the 138 seats.

"A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF prior to crossing into Israeli territory. Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol," the Israeli military said in a statement, referring to its air force.

A key challenge is the mismatch between the defence ministry's vision and the IAF's needs, says Rahul Bhatia, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk consulting firm.

A key challenge is finding a long-term replacement for the Sukhoi-30, the IAF's versatile workhorse from Russia.