Army chief says Iran closely monitoring enemy’s movements
The chief commander of Iran’s Army announced on Monday that the military forces are closely monitoring the enemy’s entire movements and will deliver a “decisive” response to any hostile action.
During an inspection of Army units in western Iran, Major General Amir Hatami assessed the operational readiness and combat capabilities along the country’s borders, saying the Army is consistently trying to enhance its preparedness to confront asymmetric and irregular threats.
Hatami underlined that troop morale remains high and that equipment and facilities have been upgraded based on lessons learned from the recent 12-day war.
Praising the initiative, creativity, and new innovations observed among Army units in the region, he said the force has mobilized all necessary resources to confront potential adversaries and that exercises are being conducted in line with military principles, particularly passive defense, to ensure realistic battlefield preparedness. "We closely monitor all enemy movements and will respond decisively to any acts of mischief," Hatami said. Stressing that territorial threats remain real, the Army chief said the forces’ core mission is safeguarding Iran’s territorial integrity and national independence.
Iranian forces targeted and destroyed the enemy’s advanced Heron drone immediately after it entered the country’s western border during the 12-day war in June, he said, warning of the same level of decisiveness in case of any new assault.
Hatami further noted that in the course of the Iraqi-imposed war of the 1980s, Iran did not lose a single inch of its territory.
"Today as well, the mission of the Army is to safeguard the territorial integrity and independence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are all striving to fulfill this mission in the best possible manner,” he stated.
Hatami also highlighted manpower as a key pillar of military power, saying protecting personnel is a top priority and that soldiers’ lives are invaluable, while emphasizing the Army’s readiness for sacrifice if required and its determination to prevent harm to civilians.
Hatami's field visit comes as media reports, citing unnamed sources and witnesses, said Iran held missile drills in various cities on Monday, in what was the second such reported exercise in a month.
The Telegram channel of Iran's public broadcaster and semi-official Nournews published videos of what appeared to be missile launches, without specifying the whereabouts.
However, the outlets said launches took place from the capital Tehran and the cities of Isfahan and Mashhad. State media later on Monday cited "informed sources" as denying that missiles were tested and saying the circulated images were of "high-altitude aircraft.”