Army’s Drill A Message to Zionist Regime, Daesh Terrorists in Region: Commander

“The overt and covert presence of the Zionist regime's proxies and the possibility of a significant number of Daesh terrorists in regional countries add to the importance of this exercise,” Brigadier General Heidari said.

He added that Daesh militants were brought into the region at the height of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and the Azerbaijan Republic.

“Since we are not sure whether they have departed the area, the drill will convey a message to them. They and the Zionists must know they have no place in the region, and that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are fairly sensitive to them and will deal with them wherever detect them,” the senior Iranian commander stressed.

He went on to say that various types of home-grown military equipment manufactured by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army and its Ground Forces will be used during the exercise.

Brigadier General Heidari highlighted that four new indigenous military achievements, including a long-endurance drone which can hit its targets with pinpoint accuracy, electronic warfare systems that can be very effective in defense and offense, and two anti-tank rifles will be tested, and their range and accuracy will be measured at the drill.

“We will also evaluate the caliber of indigenous smart artillery shells during the exercise,” he noted.

The drill, codenamed Fatehan-e Khaybar (Conquerors of Khaybar), kicked off during a ceremony on Friday, with the commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari and representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces in attendance.

Iran’s Armed Forces regularly hold military maneuvers to elevate their preparedness and military prowess.