In an early Monday morning attack, Iran fired drone bombers and six ballistic missiles into Syria.
The attack launched by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sought targets in eastern Syria, which they believed to be the location of militants responsible for the Sept. 22 deadly attack on an Iranian military parade, the Associated Press reported Monday.
State-run IRGC news outlet, Sepah News, published an official statement saying the attack targeted “the headquarters of the Ahwaz terrorists in eastern Euphrates in Syria with several ground-to-ground ballistic missiles.”
“According to preliminary information, a large number of Takfiri terrorists and Ahwaz terrorist leaders have been killed or injured in the attack,” the statement added.
Iranian officials previously blamed Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for the attack, further calling the United States and Israel “sponsors” and vowing revenge. The U.S. has avidly denied any connection to the attack.
The Iranian missiles reportedly had the range capability of reaching U.S. military bases inside both Arab nations, but did not strike them. “The coalition is still assessing if any damage occurred, and no coalition forces were in danger,” said U.S. Army Col. Sean Ryan.
Iranian officials also blamed Arab separatist groups, saying they disguised themselves as soldiers to blend in with the parade crowd before opening fire. However, terror groups ISIS and Al-Ahvaziya also separately claimed responsibility for the attack.
The confusion over the actual perpetrators of the attack has grown since Iran’s missile launch on Syria.
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, chief of the IRGC aerospace division who carried out the launch, said, “Terrorists used bullets in Ahvaz. We answered them with missiles.”
State-run TV reports showed images of the missile launch, with a reporter saying, “This is the roaring of missiles belonging to the Revolutionary Guard of the Islamic Revolution. In a few minutes, the world of arrogance — especially America, the (Israeli) Zionist regime and the Al Saud — will hear the sound of Iran’s repeated blows.”
UPDATE
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (#IRGC) strikes the gatherings of the ringleaders of the recent terror attack in the southern Iranian city of #Ahvaz, in the east of the Euphrates with several surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. pic.twitter.com/MpuTWDnDeK— Embajada de R.I. IRAN en ARGENTINA (@embairan) October 1, 2018
Television images of one of the missiles showed the messages, “Death to America, Death to Israel, Death to Al Saud.”
The IRGC said seven drones dropped munitions on targets after the missiles were launched. It is the first time Iran used remote-piloted drones.
The latest attack is the third time Iran has launched ballistic missiles in the past year. Last month, Iran fired missiles on a Kurdish base in Iraq, killing 15 and wounding at least 50. In 2017, Iran fired missiles into Syria in retaliation for an ISIS attack on Tehran.
