The Iran Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force fired ballistic missiles during the Great Prophet 17 war games held last week, footage posted on social media indicates.
IRGC Commander General Hossein Salami said that the war games, which were conducted in the Gulf, were intended to send a warning to Israel.
“These exercises had a very clear message: a serious, real … warning to threats by the Zionist regime’s authorities to beware of their mistakes,” Salami was quoted as having said on state TV.
“We will cut off their hands if they make a wrong move… The distance between actual operations and military exercises is only a change in the angles of launching the missiles,” he threatened.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri said 16 ballistic missiles of different classes had been fired simultaneously and had destroyed predetermined targets.
Iran’s ballistic missile tests and satellite launches are a cause of concern for the West and particularly the US which says that Iran’s ballistic missile tests are a violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231.
The resolution, which enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, says Iran is “called upon” to refrain for up to eight years from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons.
Iran denies its ballistic missiles violate this UN resolution.
Iranian’s leaders regularly threaten Israel. Last year, Salami said Iran is ready to strike both Israel and the US if they give it any reason to do so.
Previously, he warned in a TV interview that Iran will "raze Tel Aviv to the ground" if it is attacked by the US.
He has also threatened that Iran will destroy US warships if its security is threatened in the Persian Gulf.