Iran’s air defense force at ‘highest level’ of readiness: Top commander

A senior Iranian commander says the country's air defense command, as the front line of defense of Iran, is at its highest level of combat capability and defense readiness in any situation.

Commander of the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi-Fard made the remarks on Thursday while visiting the northwestern defense positions of the army.

The visit coincided with Sacred Defense Week, which commemorates the anniversary of the eight-year war of aggression imposed on Iran by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980s.

The Iranian commander drew direct parallels between the historic defense and the 12-day US-Israeli aggression against the country in June, praising the performance of Iran's forces.

They “stood firmer and more spirited against the usurping Zionist regime and the criminal US than the youth during the eight-year imposed war,” he said.

“The army's air defense personnel, alongside their brothers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force, created brilliant epics of sacrifice and resistance,” the commander said, noting that the effort forced the “evil Zionist regime” to “bow and surrender to the will” of Iran's forces and seek a ceasefire.

IRGC, Army chiefs vow unified, swift response to slightest aggression against Iran

Iran’s top military commanders vow that any act of aggression against the country will be met with “a unified, swift, intelligent, and powerful response.”

General Sabahi-Fard credited Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khameni’s “wise and prudent policies” for the success of the recent 12-day defense, which he said resulted in "irreparable blows" to the Zionist enemy.

He also noted that the public's support during the recent aggression demonstrated that the Iranian people “will not allow the enemies of this land to have covetous eyes on the borders and depths of our Islamic homeland.”

On June 13, Israel launched an unprovoked aggression against Iran, initiating a 12-day war that resulted in at least 1,064 Iranian casualties, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians.

The United States further escalated the war by unlawfully bombing three peaceful Iranian nuclear facilities in clear violation of international law.

Through successful retaliatory operations, Iran effectively halted the terrorist assault by June 24. 

The deputy commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that Iran emerged victorious in the recent war, emphasizing that neither the Islamic system nor the Iranian nation was defeated, and the country’s territorial integrity remained intact.

Brigadier General Ali Fadavi said Iran had faced a global coalition — from “the Great Satan” to Zionist forces — but time had shown who emerged victorious and who was defeated.

Fadavi said Iran’s missile strikes forced adversaries to seek a ceasefire despite their initial ambitions.

“We won this war even though a coalition of the world’s powers stood against us,” he said. “They declared their goals before the war, but none were achieved. Neither the Islamic system was overthrown, nor was the Iranian nation humiliated, nor was our dear Iran divided.”

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