TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have added long-range missiles and drones to the force’s navy, official media said Friday, amid heightened regional tensions following the Hamas leader’s killing in Tehran blamed on the Zionist entity. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological arm of Iran’s military which has links to Tehran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East, played a key part in the Islamic republic’s first direct attack on the Zionist entity in April.

Iranian state TV on Friday said that “a large number of new anti-ship cruise missiles were added to the IRGC naval forces by the order of the Guards chief”. The missiles “have new capabilities” with “high-explosive warheads and being untraceable”, it added. According to the report, a total of 2,654 military systems including long-range and medium-range missiles, drones for combat and reconnaissance, and electronic warfare units were added to the Guards’ naval forces.

IRGC chief General Hossein Salami, speaking at an event where some of the new weapon systems were showcased, stressed the importance of being able to “stop the enemy from afar”. “If we cannot engage with the enemy in the depths of the sea and oceans at any desired point and stop the enemy from afar, we will naturally have problems at our national borders,” he said. “In today’s world, one must either be strong in order to survive and be safe, or surrender. There is no middle way.”

The unveiling of the weapons came as the region, already affected by the Zionist war in Gaza since early October, was on high alert after Iran and its allies have vowed retaliation for the killing last week of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Following Haniyeh’s killing, Iranian officials and military commanders have promised to take action against the Zionist entity, while calls for regional de-escalation have grown.

Iran is set to carry out an order by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to “harshly punish” the Zionist entity over the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, a Revolutionary Guards deputy commander was quoted as saying on Friday by local news agencies. “The supreme leader’s orders regarding the harsh punishment of (the Zionist entity) and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit ... and they will be implemented in the best possible way,” said Ali Fadavi, cited by Iranian media.

Asked by reporters to respond to Fadavi’s remarks, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said the US was ready to defend the Zionist entity with plenty of resources in the region, adding: “When we hear rhetoric like that we’ve got to take it seriously, and we do.” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said later on Friday that Tehran’s response to the Zionist entity’s assassination of Haniyeh was “a matter totally unrelated” to efforts to broker a ceasefire in the 10-month war in the Gaza Strip.

“Our priority is to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza; any agreement accepted by Hamas will also be recognized by us,” Iran’s UN mission in New York said. “The (Zionist) regime has violated our national security and sovereignty through its recent act of terrorism. We have the legitimate right to self-defense - a matter totally unrelated to the Gaza ceasefire,” it said. – Agencies