Iran plans to hold war games to protect nuclear facilities

Simulated air defense attacks are set to start Sunday and continue over the course of five days, covering 230,000 square miles (600,000 square kilometers).

The goal of the military training exercises is to protect Iran's northern nuclear sites from a possible attack. Aerial defenses will be tested as part of the military's annual planned training. Air defense systems, armaments, tools and equipment will be used during a staged attack by two sets of enemy and defense troops. According to the Jerusalem Post, Iranian general Ahmad Mighani described the war games in a state TV report: "Reconnaissance enemy planes will violate our air space and try to disrupt electronic and radar systems, identify sensitive facilities, take photos and ... attack air defense sites. And our air defense system will confront the intruding planes." Codenamed "Modafean-e (Defenders)Aseman-e-Velayat 2," the training exercises will occur in three stages and represent the first test of a change in Iranian defensive military strategy -- what Mighani described as "asymmetric warfare." Officials in Tehran say that its recent civilian nuclear program is not a cover for making nuclear weapons, which is questioned by Isreal, some European countries and the United States, but rather a way to supply its people with more power. Iran recently rejected a United Nations resolution that would assuage these fears. As the country has ramped up its nuclear production capacities, Israel has warned that it will respond with military action if the nation is trying to obtain nuclear weapons. The United States has made similar threats if diplomacy fails to resolve the conflicts surrounding Iran's increased nuclear plans. Mojtaba Zolnour, a representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, said Saturday that Iran will target Israel if Israelis fire a missile at Iran. "If the enemy want to test its bad luck and fire a missile into Iran, before the dust settles, Iran's ballistic missiles will target the heart of Tel Aviv," Zolnour warned Israel via the official IRNA news agency.