Iran fires missiles on last day of massive drills with stark warning to Israel

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has simultaneously launched 16 ballistic missiles of different classes during massive joint military exercises in Iran’s southern areas, saying the drills carried a stark warning to Israel.

The IRGC Aerospace Force fired long-range, medium-range, and short-range missiles on Friday, marking the final day of the large-scale exercise, dubbed Great Prophet 17.

The ballistic missiles used in the exercise were Emad, Ghadr, Sejjil, Zelzal, and Zolfaqar, which hit and destroyed the intended targets with an accuracy of one hundred percent.

At the same time, 10 of the Aerospace Force’s offensive drones also launched a simultaneous operation and destroyed the intended targets.

The IRGC Deputy Chief of Operations and spokesman for the joint drills Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan said the exercise conveyed Iran’s deterrent power to the enemies and carried a message of peace to Iran’s friends and neighboring countries.

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The maneuvers were held in the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the coastal areas of the southern province of Hormuzgan, Bushehr, and Khuzestan. The exercises were part of major military drills Iran holds regularly to improve its combat readiness.

They intended to showcase the maneuverability of solid fuel missiles to cross enemy shields and simultaneous strikes and to improve the combat readiness of the IRGC’s forces.

During the drills, five cruise missiles were also fired from Iran’s Shahid Roudaki ocean-going warship for the first time. The medium-range cruise missiles successfully hit their targets.

'We will cut off hands of aggressors'

On the sidelines of the drills, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri said the drills are aimed at giving an appropriate response to the Israeli regime’s latest empty threats.

“This exercise was planned in advance, but the numerous, empty threats of the Zionist regime’s officials in recent days caused this exercise to take place at this time … This was one of the most successful missile exercises of the Islamic Republic of Iran so far,” General Baqeri said.

He said the fact that Iran’s military can hit a target with 16 missiles simultaneously demonstrates only a part of the Islamic Republic’s missile power.

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Baqeri further warned Israel against making the slightest mistake, otherwise “we will cut off their hands,” adding that the difference between a real operation and a military exercise is a “change in the angle of launching the missiles.”

The chief commander of the IRGC also made similar remarks, warning the enemies to be careful of what they say.

The exercise carried a serious warning to “threats made by the Zionist regime’s officials that they need to be careful not making mistakes, and if they make, we will cut off their hands,” Major General Hossein Samai said.

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