Iran’s army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted their largest joint naval exercises to date in the southern waters of the country, as reported by state television. The drills, which featured a fleet of 580 vessels including ocean-going warships and destroyers, took place in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. This display was part of a week-long series of events commemorating the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
The exercises coincided with the death of a senior Hezbollah commander in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, following earlier explosions in Lebanon linked to Hezbollah. Iran showcased various military hardware during nationwide parades, including a new advanced ballistic missile with a range of 1 000 kilometers (620 miles), claimed to evade existing anti-missile defense systems.
Source: Iranian Army/WANA
Both Iran and Hezbollah accused Israel of orchestrating the deadly blasts in Lebanon, which resulted in numerous casualties, including injuries to Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. Israel has not confirmed or denied its involvement. Tehran has been considering retaliatory actions against Israel since July, when it accused Israel of assassinating a senior Hamas official in Tehran.
