Iran conducted missile drills in various cities on Monday, the Iranian state media reported. The state media cited unnamed sources and witnesses in what was the second such reported exercise in a month.
The video of missiles hovering in the skies of Iran emerged on social media on Monday. NBC News reported on Saturday that US President Donald Trump was to be briefed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the renewed missile drills by Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to brief Donald Trump that any expansion of Iran’s ballistic missile programs poses a direct threat to Israel and that should necessitate a swift action.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government was “aware that Iran is conducting military exercises. We are monitoring this and making the necessary preparations.
“I want to make it clear to Iran,” Netanyahu added in a statement, “any action against Israel will be met with a very harsh response.”
Western powers have long seen Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal as a threat to stability in the Middle East. The Western powers have strongly opposed to Iran building its atomic bombs, Iran’s local media on its Telegram channel published videos of the missile launches, however, it did not specify the specific whereabouts.
The outlet, however, claimed that launches took place from the capital Tehran and the cities of Isfahan and Mashhad. State media later on Monday cited informed sources as denying that missiles were tested and saying that the circulated images were of high-altitude aircraft. No clarification regarding the conflict reports was provided.
NBC reports that Israeli officials are concerned regarding Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites that the U.S. bombed in June and were preparing to brief Trump for options on attacking the missile program again.
Earlier this month, the Navy of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps held a two-day exercise aimed at countering foreign threats, firing ballistic and cruise missiles at simulated targets.
Iran on Monday insisted that its missile program was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attacks on its sovereignty, while adding that the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate.
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“Iran’s missile program was developed to defend Iran’s territory, not for negotiation,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a weekly press conference.
“Therefore, Iran’s defense capabilities, designed to deter aggressors from any thought of attacking Iran, are not a matter that could be talked about.”
Israel had presented Iran’s ballistic missile, along with its nuclear program, as the two main threats to neutralize during the 12-day war in June. Israel falls within the striking distance of Iran’s ballistic missiles, and after Israel’s unprecedented attacks that sparked the war in June, Tehran responded with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israeli cities. Israel has reported that more than 50 Iranian missile strikes inside its territory that killed 28 people.