Iran's state media has reported the existence of an underground drone base that made the country “a drone superpower in the region”.
Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, visited the secret base on Saturday, the official Irna news agency said.
Photos accompanying the report showed Maj Gen Baqheri and army commander Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi inspecting drones in a long tunnel.
During his visit, Maj Gen Baqheri was briefed on the army’s latest capabilities in manufacturing drones including combat-ready and long-range vehicles, Irna said.
“By setting up such a secret base designed and constructed hundreds of metres deep in the ground, the Islamic Republic has turned into the drone superpower in the region,” the report said.
Iran's state TV said 100 drones were being kept in the heart of the Zagros Mountains, including the Ababil-5, which it said were fitted with Qaem-9 missiles, an Iranian-made version of air-to-surface US Hellfire.
“No doubt the drones of Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces are the region's most powerful,” Maj Gen Mousavi said. “Our capability to upgrade drones is unstoppable.”
The state TV correspondent said he was taken blindfolded to the drone base in a 45-minute helicopter flight from Kermanshah in western Iran.
Iran has longed claimed to have underground missile bases across the country and along its coast.
The report of its drone base comes amid heightened tension in the Gulf region following Iran's taking of two Greek-flagged tankers on Friday.
Iran said its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy seized the tankers for “violations in Gulf waters”. The action followed its threat earlier in the day to take “punitive action” following a US confiscation of an Iranian oil tanker in Greek waters.
Iran is said to be supplying drones to its regional proxies including Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and paramilitaries in Iraq.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz last November revealed the existence of Iranian drone bases that he said were being used to launch attacks at sea.
One is near the port of Chabahar in Iran's Sistan and Balochistan province and the other on Qeshm Island, just off the coast of the Iranian mainland, he said.
Mr Gantz had said earlier that Iran also had a drone base in Kashan, north of the city of Isfahan, that was used to train Iranian proxies.
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
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Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
PFA Premier League team of 2018-19
Allison (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City)
Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
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Book%20Details
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
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If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
The lowdown
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Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
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Red flags
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching