Tehran: Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards are conducting military drills in the western region of the country, which will continue until Tuesday, according to Iran’s official news agency, IRNA.
The exercises began on Friday in the Kermanshah province, near the border with Iraq, with the stated goal of “enhancing combat readiness and vigilance,” an armed forces official told IRNA. These drills come at a time of heightened tensions, as Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Tehran.
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Both Iran and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas accuse Israel of being behind Haniyeh’s assassination. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the killing, which has intensified fears that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip could escalate into a broader Middle Eastern war.
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On Friday, Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Ali Fadavi, cited by Iranian media, reiterated that the orders from Iran’s supreme leader for a severe response against Israel and retribution for Haniyeh’s death are clear and will be carried out in the “best possible way.”
