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 on Sunday.
The drills, which started on 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.
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Tehran poster shows slaim Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with Ali Khamenei
(Photo: Atta Kenare / AFP)
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 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.
Cited by Iranian media, Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Ali Fadavi said on 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".
A report in Kuwait media on Sunday claimed that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reportedly convinced Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to postpone the expected attack on Israel. Considered a moderate, Pezeshkian reportedly stopped an attack immediately after Haniyeh's killing.