Iran conducted a military exercise Friday on a mock version of Israel’s Eilat naval port, provocatively testing its Ababil 5 suicide drones, Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
The move was a part of Iran’s massive Zolfaqar 1401 drill, in which additional satellite footage showed the country’s latest version of its UAV kamikaze drones taking off from an IRIS Lavan landing ship and striking a mock Israeli Sa’ar 6-class corvette.
Ababil 5 models went into service last May and are said to have a 480-kilometer range and the carrying capacity for six small rockets, according to Israeli military intelligence watchdog DEBKAfile.
Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army, told reporters on Sunday that the military would “respond decisively and with multiple forces” in case of any threat directed at Iran from Israel.
“In the past few days, the Iranian Army showcased some of its capabilities in defending the country and responding to the enemy,” Mousavi said, adding that the country has “shown the world” it “can respond to any threat in the best way.”
Mousavi insisted that the military exercises aimed only at deterrence and security and should not be considered aggressive. But directly after, the commander-in-chief also took shots at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest coalition government.
He claimed: Israel is at its lowest point in history, and “that is why the prime minister of that regime has been forced to form a coalition with the most radical people in order to organize his messy cabinet.”
The top general was specifically referencing the make-up of Netanyahu’s coalition, which was regarded by Foreign Affairs on Tuesday as the “most right-wing government in history” for its positions on foreign policy and LGBTQ rights.