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Iran sends a message with missile strike in Syria
By Ali Noorani
Tehran (AFP) June 19, 2017


Iran fires missiles into Syria in revenge for attacks
Tehran (AFP) June 18 - Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched a series of missiles into Syria on Sunday in revenge for deadly attacks on its capital that were claimed by the Islamic State group.

It was the first missile attack by Iran outside its own territory in 30 years, since the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, media in the Islamic republic reported.

It came hours after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement on his website, vowed Iran would "slap its enemies" in honour of the victims' families, including those killed in Syria and Iraq.

The missiles were fired from western Iran across the border into Deir Ezzor province, in northeastern Syria, targeting what the Guard called "terror bases".

The Guard said, in a statement published on its Sepahnews website, that the missiles were "in retaliation" for the June 7 attacks on Tehran claimed by IS.

"Medium-range missiles were fired from the (western) provinces of Kermanshah and Kurdestan, and a large number of terrorists were killed and weapons destroyed," the statement said.

It said the attack targeted "a command base.... of the terrorists in Deir Ezzor", Syria's oil-rich eastern province.

Iranian television showed footage of the missiles being launched into the night sky.

On June 7, gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, killing 17 people.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which accused Saudi Arabia of involvement in the attacks, had also vowed to avenge the attacks.

Senior Iranian officials had also put the blame on Riyadh after the Tehran attacks, saying Saudi Arabia was "promoting terrorist groups" in Iran.

The Islamic republic of Iran is a key ally of the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, alongside Russia and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement of Lebanon.

Iran has sent to Syria military advisers as well as thousands of "volunteer" fighters recruited among its own nationals as well as the Shiite communities in neighbouring Afghanistan and Pakistan since Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011.

Netanyahu warns Iran after Syria missile strike
Jerusalem (AFP) June 19, 2017 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned Iran not to threaten Israel after Tehran launched ballistic missiles at a Syrian base of the Islamic State group.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had fired six missiles from western Iran into northeastern Syria on Sunday, targeting "terror bases."

The Guard said the strike was "in retaliation" for June 7 attacks in Tehran that killed 17 people in the first IS-claimed operations in the country.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said Iran is a threat to the Jewish state, the Middle East and potentially the world.

"We follow their actions and we follow their words," he said Monday. "I have one message to Iran: Do not threaten Israel."

"The army and our security forces are constantly monitoring the activity of Iran in the region," Netanyahu told senior members of his Likud party on Monday.

"This activity also includes their attempts to establish themselves in Syria and, of course, to transfer advanced weapons to Hezbollah and other operations," a party statement quoted him as saying.

Netanyahu was a vocal opponent of the 2015 deal between Tehran and major powers that saw sanctions against Iran eased in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.

Israel, which is itself believed to have atomic weapons, says the programme aims to produce a nuclear bomb -- something Iran denies.

Iran has targeted jihadists in Syria with missiles in retaliation for deadly attacks in Tehran, but the strike was also a message to its regional rivals and Washington, experts say.

Late Sunday, the elite Revolutionary Guards launched six missiles from western Iran into Syria's mostly Islamic State group-held Deir Ezzor province, hitting an IS command base, the Guards said.

The strike was "revenge" for twin attacks in Tehran on June 7 that killed 17 people in the first IS-claimed attacks inside the Shiite-ruled Islamic republic, a Guards spokesman added.

As well as punishing "terrorists", it was intended to show that Iran is capable of projecting military power across the region, officials and experts said.

Tehran has devoted vast military and financial resources to propping up the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a six-year civil war.

It has also sent thousands of Shiite recruits to fight in Syria and battle IS in neighbouring Iraq, according to officials.

But Sunday's strike was the first known missile attack launched from Iran into foreign territory since the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88.

"The missile attacks were only a small part of Iran's punitive power against terrorists and enemies," Guards spokesman General Ramezan Sharif said Monday.

"International and regional supporters of the terrorists must realise the warning message of the missile operation."

Iran has long accused the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia of backing "terrorists" -- a catch-all phrase for rebels and jihadist groups fighting the Assad regime.

US President Donald Trump meanwhile accuses Iran of backing terrorism -- a charge it denies -- and has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.

- 'Response' to Senate vote -

The US Senate last week passed tough sanctions on Iran for its alleged "continued support of terrorism".

Iran condemned the move and vowed to respond with "reciprocal and adequate measures".

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman of a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and national security, called Sunday's strike "an appropriate response to the US Senate vote".

Analyst Foad Izadi said the strike was intended to convey several messages.

"The first message is that Iran punishes terrorists," he said.

But it was also meant to show that "Iran, in its fight against terrorism, needs missiles -- and sanctions have no influence on its defence policies."

Iran's homemade missiles, which can hit targets up to 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away, are a major point of tension with Washington and Israel.

Tehran argues that in a region engulfed with conflicts and wars, its missiles are an indispensible part of its defensive power.

Iran's weapons programme is also a major concern for its Sunni arch-rival Saudi Arabia.

The two regional heavyweights back opposing sides in several conflicts including in Syria and Yemen.

Sunday's strike came amid rising tensions between Riyadh and Tehran. Izadi said it was partly intended for a Saudi audience.

"Riyadh must know that all of its oil regions are within the range of Iranian missiles," he said.

- 'Message to Netanyahu' -

Saudi Arabia struck a giant arms deal with Washington this month during President Donald Trump's visit to the region, which saw him clearly align his administration with Riyadh and lash out against Tehran.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the $110 billion (100 billion euro) deal was aimed at helping the kingdom deal with "malign Iranian influence".

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said Monday that "unlike others, Iran doesn't buy security and stability".

"Security cannot be traded and those who think they can provide their security by dragging extra-regional countries here are making a stupid strategic mistake," he said.

While Saudi Arabia has spent billions on American weapons, Iran has developed a range of homemade ballistic missiles -- including some that are capable of hitting Israel or American military bases in the region.

Izadi said Sunday's strike on Deir Ezzor, halfway between Iranian and Israeli territory, was also meant as a message to Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, "who regularly threatens Iran."

"The missiles that were fired are medium range -- Iran has long-range missiles with much greater ranges," he said.

Boroujerdi said the strike marked "a new phase in the fight against terrorism."

"So far, we only posted military advisors on the ground in Syria and Iraq," he said.

"But the attack shows we are capable of hitting terrorists hundreds of kilometres away."

NUKEWARS
US Navy accuses Iranian vessel of dangerous activity
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2017
An Iranian navy vessel conducted an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with US ships by pointing a laser at an accompanying Marine Corps helicopter, the US Navy said Wednesday. The incident occurred June 13 as amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan, the USS Cole destroyer and another American ship were sailing in formation in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. "The Irani ... read more

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