Iran conducts military manuevers — Introduces new weapons

Jerusalem - Iran, adding to the threat of war in the Middle East, championed new missile and artillery systems on Tuesday, according to a Reuters report.

Iranian media announced the new weapons tests on the second day of large-scale military exercises which officials claim are being conducted to send a warning to Israel and Western countries that the Islamic Republic views as a threat, according to the report. Three domestically-built missile and artillery systems being presented in the excercise will significantly upgrade Iran's military defenses, said Farzad Esmaili, head of Iran's air defense headquarters. "The low-altitude missile system 'Ya Zahra 3' is completely indigenous and Iranian and has been designed and produced to suit internal needs," Esmaili was quoted as saying by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA). He said the second missile system named 'Qader' was highly mobile and could be deployed in less than 30 minutes, while a new artillery system named 'Safat' could escape detection by enemy surveillance. "Today and tomorrow, the most significant firing of missiles in the ... exercises will take place," Esmaili said, according to state television. Iran's president, like Hamas, has publicly called for the destruction of the country of Israel. Already frayed relations between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear program, are likely be exacerbated by the military operation called "Velayat 4" which is centered around air defenses and covers much of the eastern sector of Iran. Relations between Washington and Tehran are tense while President Obama has distanced himself from Israel throughout much of his administration. Meanwhile, Middle East peace talks are long stalled as Hamas rockets rain on Israel from Gaza. Adding to the escalation, Ahmed Al-Jabari, military chief of Hamas, was killed in a retaliatory airstrike by Israeli jets Wednesday. Beyond being attacked by rockets launched from Gaza almost daily, Israel is also dealing with hostilities spilling over from neighboring Syria. At the same time, the Muslim Brotherhood that now controls Egypt has become increasingly aggressive toward the Jewish state. Meanwhile, Hamas has promised to retaliate with suicide bombers after Israel knocked out most of their long-range rockets in airstrikes that followed the killing of Al-Jabari and his brother in Gaza.