Panic-stricken Israeli settlers out in the streets of Tel Aviv following the fresh wave of Iranian missiles on Thursday
Tehran, June 20 (RHC)-- Iranian armed forces carried out the fourteenth phase of Operation True Promise III on Thursday, unleashing a barrage of strategic missiles and suicide drones on the occupied territories.
The new wave constituted new-generation missiles and suicide drones that managed to pierce through multi-tier Israeli air defense systems to strike their targets in Tel Aviv.
Despite sweeping censorship, videos circulating on social media showed panic-stricken settlers rushing toward underground shelters as air raid sirens blared across the occupied territories.
According to some reports, at least 50 ballistic missiles, including those being used for the first time in Operation True Promise III, were spotted in the skies over the occupied territories.
The regime in Tel Aviv has imposed ban on publication of any report regarding casualties or collateral damage, however, some reports put the death toll on Thursday at over 50.
Many buildings belonging to the Israeli regime, including its military and intelligence, were targeted in the latest wave, proving the increasing inefficacy of much-hyped air defenses.
In a statement, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said strategic missiles and suicide drones were used in tandem on Thursday, primarily targeting a key command and intelligence center of the Israeli military near one of the hospitals, making the direct impact.
The statement added that the intelligence and high-precision power of missiles belonging to the Iranian armed forces is for the whole world to see now, noting that the entire occupied territories have been turned into a military fortress now.
IRGC further said the Israeli military has evacuated its bases and taken refuge in civilian areas and installed its ineffective air defense systems and missile launchers to urban areas.
It also repeated the warning for settlers that the skies over the occupied territories remain defenseless, and that the regime no longer can withstand further economic blows.
In the past few days, Iranian armed forces have employed different innovative tactics to outsmart and evade the US-provided Israeli missile interceptors with great success.
A report in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Tuesday said the latest waves of the Iranian retaliatory operation have been "unusual," catching the regime off-guard.
Among the new-generation missiles put to use by the Iranian armed forces in Operation True Promise III are Khaiber-Shekan, Fattah and Sejjil. Sejjil was used on Wednesday.
In a statement on Wednesday, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned settlers in the occupied territories that the regime's air defenses have depleted in recent days due to a series of successful Iranian retaliatory strikes, and now the skies over the occupied land of Palestine are completely controlled by Iranian missiles and drones.
The statement further warned the settlers that they must chose between slow death inside the underground bunkers or return to the countries from where their ancestors came.
Iran's retaliatory operations are in response to the unprovoked Israeli aggression starting Friday, which led to the assassination of many high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians, including children and women.
In his video statement on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the Iranian nation will “firmly stand" against an imposed war and will never surrender to “any form of imposition.”
On Tuesday, Major General Sayyid Abdolrahim Mousavi, the Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, said the operations carried out so far since Friday have served as a deterrent warning, and the actual punitive operations will be executed soon.
“The great nation of Iran, as history shows, has never bowed to any aggression, and, while standing firm against this savage act, will make the Zionist regime pay for its crimes."
[ SOURCE: PRESS TV and NEWS AGENCIES ]
