“It is capable of penetrating their air defense systems,” said Tehran’s Defense Minister in a message to the US and Israel.
The Iranian regime unveiled this Sunday a new ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 kilometers, amid threats from the United States and Israel to attack the Persian country for its support of the Houthis in Yemen.
“The new solid-fuel missile, named Qassem Basir, with a range of 1,200 kilometers, is capable of penetrating various air defense systems, such as the American THAAD and Patriot, as well as those of the Israeli regime,” declared Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh in an interview with state television on Sunday evening.
Iranian television broadcast images of a test launch of the ballistic missile, carried out on April 17, indicating that “it struck the target with precision.”
This projectile was presented after the United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, issued a direct threat last Thursday against Iran for its backing of the Houthis in Yemen, following the downing of a US F-18 fighter jet.
“They will pay the consequences at the time and place of our choosing,” Hegseth stated.
Israel vowed reprisals against the Iranian regime and the Houthi rebels in Yemen for the attack on Tel Aviv airport.
Related: Israel vowed reprisals against the Iranian regime and the Houthi rebels in Yemen for the attack on Tel Aviv airport
Additionally, US President Donald Trump also threatened military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities in the event that an agreement is not reached in the negotiations with the country. The fourth round, scheduled for Saturday, was suspended.
In response to these threats, the Iranian Defense Minister warned that “if we are attacked or a war is imposed upon us, we will respond with force.” “We will target their interests and their bases, and we will not hesitate nor recognize any limits in this regard,” Nasirzadeh affirmed.
The senior military official also warned that neighboring countries “are our brothers, but the US bases on their territory will be our targets.”
The US threats were echoed on Sunday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after a hypersonic ballistic missile launched by the Houthis in Yemen struck the area of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, injuring six people.
“The Houthi attacks originate from Iran. Israel will respond to the Houthi attack on our main airport and, at the time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terrorist masters,” Netanyahu declared.
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Israel are arch-enemies who have already exchanged fire twice in 2024, following years of covert conflict involving cyberattacks, assassinations, and acts of sabotage.
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