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Iran Calls Itself Global 'Missile Power' After Strike on ISIS Militants In Syria

Iranian military trucks carry surface-to-air missiles during a parade on the occasion of the country's Army Day, on April 18
Iranian military trucks carry surface-to-air missiles during a parade on the occasion of the country's Army Day, on April 18 / Getty Images
June 19, 2017

Senior Iranian military officials have dubbed the Islamic Republic a "missile power" after it launched multiple strikes on ISIS militants in Syria following a terror attack in Tehran that killed several, according to regional reports.

Iran revealed footage of the missile strikes, which were caught on camera by Iranian drones flying in Syria, according to a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commander.

"The missiles were fired from Iran and they passed through Iraq's airspace and hit Syria and the online footages of the strikes in Deir Ezzur were sent to us in Iran by the drones which were flying over Syria," Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's aerospace force, was quoted as saying on Monday.

The missile strikes are said to have killed at least 360 ISIS militants and a senior Saudi Arabian military leader, according to reports in Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency.

Iran launched at least six missiles at ISIS militants operating in Syria, a strike that Iranian military officials said was in response to an ISIS-orchestrated terror attack in side Iran last week.

"A number of mid-range ground-to-ground missiles [were] fired from the IRGC Aerospace Force bases in Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces," according to a statement from the IRGC announcing the attack.

Iran boasted of the strike throughout the weekend, with military officials declaring Iran a top missile power capable of fighting all military forces in the region, including the United States.

"Iran is among the world's big powers in the missile field," Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, chief of staff for the Iranian Armed Forces, was quoted as saying on Monday.

"They don't have the capability to engage in clashes with us for now and of course, we don't intend to involve in clashes with them but we are in permanent rivalry with them in different fields, including the missile sector," he said.

Published under: Iran , ISIS , Syria