Iran has kicked off a five-day large scale military exercise in the country’s southern region warning that civilian and military aircraft risk being shot down if they stray into Iranian airspace occupied by the drill. The exercises, codenamed Modafe’an-e Aseman-e Velayat 7 or Defenders of Velayat Skies 7, include air defense drills and various missile, artillery and radar equipment as well as cyber and electronic warfare exercises.
Speaking Sunday, the commander of Iran’s air force Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili warned foreign aircraft trespassing the airspace covering the drill area would be shot down immediately. “We are witnessing the presence of a number of trans-regional planes outside the air and sea borders of the country but we emphasize that these planes should know their limits and know that we will take action in less than one second,” he said. FULL REPORT
