Iran conducts military exercises in north amid tensions with Israel

TEHRAN (Agencies): Iran’s navy is conducting military drills in the northern city of Astara, state media reported on Tuesday, amid growing anticipation of Tehran’s promised retaliation against Israel.

The drills are being conducted by the naval forces of Iran’s army, which is a distinct entity from the more advanced Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The exercises are intended to “prepare the defense forces of the Iranian navy as thoroughly as possible,” Mehr news agency cited Hamid Mousavi, the deputy governor of Astara, as saying.

The drill was taking place on Tuesday evening from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time (1600 to 1700 GMT) in Astara, located in Iran’s Gilan province on the Caspian Sea.

Mousavi urged residents not to be alarmed by any explosion sounds, saying these are part of the exercise.

It is Iran’s second reported military drill in three days.

The Middle East has been on high alert since last month’s assassinations of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut and Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran and its regional proxies, including Lebanese Hezbollah, have blamed Israel for these attacks and vowed to retaliate.

Israel confirmed it was behind the strike on Shukr but has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s killing.