DUBAI: Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard on Saturday launched a new satellite-carrying rocket, state TV reported, seeking to demonstrate the force’s space prowess even as anti-government protests rage across the country.
State TV said the Guard successfully launched the solid-fueled rocket — what it called a Ghaem-100 satellite carrier. Iranian state TV did not immediately show any footage of the launch. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that the carrier would be able to put a satellite weighing 80 kg (176 pounds) into orbit some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Earth.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajjizadeh, the commander of the Guard’s aerospace division, said he hoped the Guard would soon use the rocket to put a new satellite, named Nahid, into orbit.
Iran says its satellite program, like its nuclear activities, is aimed at scientific research and other civilian applications. The US and other Western countries have long been suspicious of the program because the same technology can be used to develop long-range missiles.
The announcement came amid protests that have embroiled the country for seven weeks calling for overthrowing the clerical rule. Security forces, including paramilitary volunteers with the Revolutionary Guard, have violently cracked down on the demonstrations, killing some 300 people, according to rights groups.
Iran Revolutionary Guard launches satellite-carrying rocket
https://arab.news/bejwt
Iran Revolutionary Guard launches satellite-carrying rocket
- State TV said the Guard successfully launched the solid-fueled rocket — what it called a Ghaem-100 satellite carrier
- Iranian state TV did not immediately show any footage of the launch
Israeli forces demolish Palestinian facilities in Jericho
- Israeli authorities have conducted 538 demolitions in the past 12 months, totaling 1,400 structures
- Excluding East Jerusalem, there are about 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank
LONDON: Israeli authorities demolished a house on Thursday in the town of Deir Al-Dik, located west of Jericho in the West Bank, and issued a demolition order for another structure east of the city.
Israeli bulldozers stormed Deir Al-Dik and demolished a house belonging to a resident of Jerusalem, claiming it was built without a permit, according to the Wafa news agency.
Forces also demolished a barracks in the city that belonged to the Abu Jarar factory and issued a demolition order for another structure related to the Sinqrat palm grove, east of Jericho.
The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported that the Israeli authorities conducted 538 demolitions in the past 12 months, totaling 1,400 structures. This included 304 occupied homes, 74 unoccupied homes, 270 economic facilities and 490 agricultural facilities, primarily in Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Tubas and Nablus.
Excluding East Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, there are about 3 million Palestinians and 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank.
