TEHRAN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- A top Iranian commander said on Friday that the five-day drill in the southern parts of the country was a response to recent threats by Israel, Tasnim news agency reported.
Chief of the Iranian armed forces Mohammad Baqeri said recent threats from some Israeli officials prompted the Iranian side to hold the war game, dubbed "Great Prophet 17," at this time.
He noted that the war game was among Iran's most successful missile exercises so far.
The drill was held in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the coastal areas of the southern Iranian provinces of Hormuzgan, Bushehr, and Khuzestan.
On Friday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched 16 ballistic missiles of different classes during the drill. The footage of the drill showed all the missiles hit the same target simultaneously, Baqeri said.
They struck and destroyed the very distant target, he added, noting that this is only part of Iran's missile power.
Also on Friday, IRGC's Chief Commander Hossein Salami said the exercise, particularly its last stage, had conveyed a very clear message and a serious and real warning to Israeli officials.
"They must be careful of their mistakes," he said.
