Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards are holding military drills in the western parts of the country that will continue until Tuesday, Iran's official news agency announced Sunday.
The drills, which started Friday, are ongoing in the western province of Kermanshah close to the border with Iraq to "enhance combat readiness and vigilance," an armed forces official told IRNA.
The drills are taking place as Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel after the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Tehran.
Iran and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas accuse Israel of carrying out Haniyeh's assassination on July 31. Israel has not claimed or denied responsibility for the killing, which has fueled further concern that the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip was turning into a wider Middle East war.
In a statement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah: "Whoever harms us in a way that has not been done in the past, is likely to be hit in a way that hasn’t been done in the past."
He added that Israel did not want war breaking out on additional fronts, but that it must be prepared.
Cited by Iranian media, Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Ali Fadavi said Friday that the Iranian supreme leader's orders regarding the harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for Haniyeh are clear and will be implemented in the "best possible way."
