TEHRAN, Iran: Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces on Friday held a military exercise involving ballistic missiles and drones in the country’s central desert, state TV reported, amid heightened tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program and a US pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.
In the first phase of the drill Friday morning, the Guard’s aerospace division launched several surface-to-surface ballistic missiles against simulated enemy bases, state TV reported. It said the drill included Zolfaghar and Dezful solid-fuel ballistic missiles. Bomb-carrying drones were also deployed. The Dezful, a version of the Zolfaghar, has a 700-kilometer (430-mile) range and 450-kilogram (992-pound) warhead.
Iran has missile capability of up to 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), far enough to reach archenemy Israel and US military bases in the region. Last January, after the US killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, Tehran retaliated by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops, resulting in brain concussion injuries to dozens of them.
In recent weeks, Iran has increased its military drills. On Wednesday, Iran’s navy held a two-day short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman. On Saturday, the Revolutionary Guard held a naval parade in the Arabian Gulf. A week earlier, Iran held a massive drone maneuver across half the country.
Tensions are again rising in the waning days of the administration of President Donald Trump, as Iran ramps up pressure on the West over the US sanctions campaign against the Islamic Republic.
Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump cited Iran’s ballistic missile program among other issues in withdrawing from the accord.
When the US then increased sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits on its nuclear development.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard holds ballistic missile drill amid tensions
https://arab.news/8g992
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard holds ballistic missile drill amid tensions
- The Guard’s aerospace division launched several surface-to-surface ballistic missiles against simulated enemy bases
- Tensions are again rising in the waning days of the administration of President Donald Trump
Mass grave found in Libya containing bodies of 21 migrants
- A Libyan national has been arrested on suspicion of killing the migrants and holding others captive
- Photos and video circulated by local media outlets showed bodies piled together
TRIPOLI: Libyan authorities have uncovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, local media reported Thursday.
News outlets cited government sources as saying a Libyan national has been arrested on suspicion of killing the migrants and holding others captive on a farm in the northeastern town of Ajdabiya.
Libya is a key transit country for thousands of migrants attempting to reach Europe each year, with deaths among migrants frequently reported.
The Internal Security Agency for Libya’s east said it had “discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 individuals of various African nationalities,” according to television channel Al-Masar.
The channel, which is aligned with eastern Libya’s army strongman Khalifa Haftar, said the suspect was detained during a raid on the farm.
Libya remains split between an administration in the east backed by Haftar and a government in the west recognized by the United Nations.
Independent news channel Al Wasat reported that the man had held migrants captive on the farm, some of whom were rescued and hospitalized after the raid.
Photos and video circulated by local media outlets showed bodies piled together and more than a dozen body bags laid out on the ground.
Libya has struggled to recover from chaos that erupted after a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
Smugglers and human traffickers have taken advantage of the instability, with the country facing criticism over conditions for migrants and rights groups levelling accusations of extortion and slavery.
