The Israel Defense Forces (shortened: IDF) (Hebrew: צָבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל) Tzva HaHagana LeYisrael (help·info)), "Army for the Defense of Israel", known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym צה"ל, (Tzahal), is the name of Israel's military forces. It includes the Israel Army, Israel Air Force and Israel Navy. Since 1967, it has had a close relationship with the United States.[1] The IDF is believed to have maintained Nuclear weapons, possibly possessing between 80 and 400 nuclear warheads.[2]
↑Mahler, Gregory S. (1990). Israel After Begin. SUNY Press. p. 45. ISBN978-0-7914-0367-9.
↑There are a wide range of estimates as to the size of the Israeli nuclear arsenal. For a compiled list of estimates, see Avner Cohen, The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel's bargain with the Bomb (Columbia University Press, 2010), Table 1, page xxvii and page 82.