Sunday, Nov 22, 2009

TEHRAN (AFP)--A commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Sunday Iran's air defense forces would "annihilate" Israeli warplanes if they attacked the Islamic republic, as the forces began five days of war games.

The maneuvers are aimed at practicing responses to simulated attacks on the country's nuclear sites.

"Their [Israeli] F-15 and F-16 fighters will be trapped by our air defense forces and will be annihilated," Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who heads the air force wing of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, told Fars news agency. "Even if their planes escape, they will be struck by our destructive surface-to-surface missiles before they land at the bases they took off from."

The drills were announced Saturday by Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani, head of army air defense, who said the main aim is to thwart aerial threats on Iran's nuclear facilities--from reconnaissance to actual assault--posed by an imaginary enemy.

"Due to the threats against our nuclear facilities it is our duty to defend out nation's vital facilities and thus these maneuvers covers Bushehr, Fars, Isfahan, Tehran and western provinces," Mighani said. "Our unit will be in charge of the maneuvers but there will be units from the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij [militia]."

Iran's still non-operational nuclear power plant is in southern Bushehr province while its uranium enrichment plants are in Isfahan and near Tehran.

The West believes Iran's enrichment work is masking an atomic weapons program but Iran insists it is purely for generating electricity.

Washington and Israel have never ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Iran has often held defense war games and has boasted advances in military capabilities in a bid to show its readiness to counter any military threats over its disputed nuclear program. The Islamic republic has also warned it will hit back at Israel and U.S. interests in the region if it is attacked.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

22-11-09 1347GMT