Iran test-fires ballistic missile able to hit Israel
IRAN: Iran on Tuesday test-fired in its central desert a ballistic
missile capable of striking Israel as part of war games designed to show
its ability to retaliate if attacked, media said. Iran's Revolutionary
Guard fired the medium-range Shahab-3 missile at a mock target in the
Kavir Desert on the second day of its Great Prophet 7 exercise, which is
due to end on Wednesday, Iran's Al-Alam television network reported.
The Shahab-3 has a range of up to 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles),
which means it is theoretically able to hit Israel, which is some 1,000
kilometres away.
Al-Alam said two short-range missiles, the Shahab-1 and Shahab-2,
with ranges of 300 to 500 kilometres, were also launched.
The Fars news agency said “dozens of short-, medium-, and long-range
missiles have been fired from different parts of Iran at a single target
in Kavir.” The ISNA news agency said the last day of the drill would see
Revolutionary Guard “bomber drones” also used.
Although the Islamic republic has test-fired its Shahab missiles
before, and frequently holds military manoeuvres, it says these war
games are aimed at sending a message to Israel and the United States to
think twice on their threats of possibly attacking Iran.
The Great Prophet 7 exercise targeted a replica military base set up
in a desert and made to look like a foreign facility, similar to those
the United States has in neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan. The
launch of the Shahab-3 missile coincided with the day official experts
from Iran and world powers were to hold talks in Istanbul to discuss the
West's push to have Tehran scale back its sensitive nuclear programme.
AFP
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