MESOPOTAMIA NEWS REPORTING : Jerusalem Post Middle East – Iran launches Turkey border exercise after Erdogan invades Syria
Although Iranian Maj.-Gen. Mousavi said the army’s forces are fully prepared to counter “any possible movement of the enemy,” implying defense, Iran has recently often been militarily aggressive.
By Yonah Jeremy Bob October 10, 2019 13:14 Iran launched an unannounced large military exercise near the Turkish border on Wednesday, soon after Ankara invaded Syria to confront a mostly Kurdish group, the Islamic Republic’s Tasnim News Agency reported.
Turkey started its invasion of a narrow strip of Syria where the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF] had been protected by the US, until Washington announced on Sunday that it was pulling US troops out of Syria.
While most of the controversy has been about the US betrayal of its five-year alliance with the SDF, potentially leading to Turkey being able to devastate SDF forces and any civilians in the area, Iran’s actions signaled a new side to the developments.
Although Iranian Maj.-Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said the army’s forces are fully prepared to counter “any possible movement of the enemy,” projecting the exercise as defensive in nature, Iran has frequently used military power in recent months in an aggressive manner. Iran has admitted to shooting down a US drone and detaining naval vessels of US allies, and is accused by the West of a massive strike on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields.
According to the report, the exercise took place in regions near Oroumiyeh, the capital city of Iran’s northwestern province of West Azerbaijan.
“The Army’s units are at the peak of their readiness and will carry out any mission assigned to them as quickly as possible,” he stressed.
“The message of the war game to the enemies is that if they miscalculate, they should know that the children of this land are ready to resist with their full power at any time and place,” the commander added.
Mousavi further emphasized that the army has full intelligence dominance over the region, adding, “We are prepared for any level of threat designed by the enemy.”
The unannounced military drill involves rapid reaction units, mobile and offense brigades, and helicopters from the Army Ground Force’s Airborne Unit, said the report.