Iran has test-fired two ballistic missiles it claimed were designed to be able to hit Israel.
The launch of the rockets, which had the phrase "Israel must be wiped out" written in Hebrew on them, came as US Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel for talks.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said the show of force aimed to "show Iran's deterrent power and ... ability to confront any threat".
Israeli officials had no immediate response to the Iranian launches.
The two Qadr missiles fired from northern Iran hit targets in the southeast of the country 870 miles (1,400km) away, according to Iranian agencies.
The nearest point in Iran is around 621 miles (1,000km) from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
"The reason we designed our missiles with a range of 2,000km is to be able to hit our enemy the Zionist regime from a safe distance," Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh was quoted as saying by the ISNA agency.
He added: "We will not be the ones who start a war, but we will not be taken by surprise, so we put our facilities somewhere that our enemies cannot destroy them so that we could continue long war."
The launches took place in defiance of a threat of fresh sanctions by the US.
Earlier this year, Washington imposed penalties on businesses and individuals linked to Iran's missile programme over a test of the medium-range Emad missile carried out in October 2015.
The Revolutionary Guards, which reports directly to Iran's supreme leader, has dozens of short and medium-range ballistic missiles - the largest stockpile in the Middle East.
The US is concerned the rockets could be used to carry a nuclear warhead at some point in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment