By Dudi Cohen
Iran has test-fired dozens of surface-to-surface missiles Tuesday, as part of its three-day war games. Iranian state-run media hailed the ballistic test as successful.
The Revolutionary Guards' maneuvers, dubbed "Great Prophet 7," are designed to show Iran's ability to retaliate if attacked, Tehran's media said.
During the exercise, held in the Kavir Desert, Iran fired the medium-range Shahab-3 missile – which has a range of up to 2,000km. Shahab-3 is believed to be one of the missiles theoretically able to hit Israel.
The Revolutionary Guards also tested its short-range Shahab-1 and Shahab-2 missiles, which have a range of 300km and 500km respectively.
"Dozens of short, medium, and long-range missiles have been fired from different parts of Iran at a single target in Kavir," the Fars news agency reported.
The growing frequency of Iranian war games and naval maneuvers is believed to be meant to ward off Israel and the United States, as talks of a possible strike against the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities become more prevalent.
According to Iranian reports, the missiles targeted "a replica military base made to look like a foreign facility… similar to those the United States has in neighboring countries such as Afghanistan."
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah have effectively usurped Lebanon's economy, making the country their proverbial "laundromat" for illicit funds.
The report said that millions of dollars are funneled to Lebanon trough shell companies used to mask worldwide terror and drug activity.
The New York-Based United against Nuclear Iran group is pressuring American companies to sever their business ties with Lebanon, arguing that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are using Beirut's banking system to circumvent international sanctions.
Yitzhak Benhorin, in Washington, contributed to this report
