The Israel-Iran conflict has escalated into its fourth day with mounting casualties, widening attacks, and no sign of diplomatic resolution.

But Israel's formidable and sophisticated military forces - with an arsenal largely, but not exclusively, provided by the United States - are enabling it to overpower a much larger enemy. The BBC looks at the military balance in the latest war in the Middle East.

Israel warned Tehran civilians to evacuate the city ahead of planned Israeli strikes on “the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure” on Monday—the first time in the now four-day conflict that an evacuation warning has been issued for targeted residential areas.

Stocks are down on Friday, with oil prices surging in the wake of the Israel's military strike on Iran. The S&P 500 slid 48 points, or 0.5%, to 5,998 points in early trading, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 559 points,

Out of precaution, the U.S. withdrew diplomats from Iraq on Wednesday and authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. military families from the Middle East should such an attack occur and prompt retaliation by Iran, the Times and CBS News reported.