Iran unveils new air defense weapon as regional tensions rise

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(Reuters) – Iran unveiled new weapons on Saturday, including the locally made Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarkhash low-altitude air defense system, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The announcement came amid heightened tensions in the region after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants launched a series of attacks on ships belonging to the US, Britain and Israel in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

Gaza has been under military attack by Israel since a Hamas attack in the south of Israel on October 7.

In response to the Houthi attacks, the US has targeted sites inside Yemen as well as facilities of Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. In return, US military bases in Syria and Iraq have been attacked. Israel has also attacked Iranian targets in Syria.

war in israel and gaza

A Palestinian girl collects salvageable items in a building damaged during Israeli bombardment in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on February 12, 2024, amid ongoing fighting between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.  Israel announced the rescue of two hostages on 12 February in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where the Hamas-run health ministry said "about 100" Palestinians, including children, were killed in heavy air strikes overnight.  (Photo by Saeed Khatib/AFP) (Photo by Saeed Khatib/AFP via Getty Images)

The unveiling ceremony of the two vehicle-based systems on Saturday took place in the presence of Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani.

“With the entry of new systems into the country’s defense network, the air defense capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran will increase significantly,” IRNA said.

It said the Arman missile system “can engage six targets simultaneously at a range of 120 to 180 km”, while the Azarakhsh missile system can “identify and destroy targets… at a range of 50 km.” “To distance, four ready to fire-to-fire.” Missiles”.

In June Iran introduced what officials described as its first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, named Fatah, with a range of 1,400 km.

(dubai.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters,

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