Iran warns Israel against building tension

With Israel holding a large-scale military drill, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi advises Tel Aviv against looking for any trouble in the region.

“Israel’s main problem is its total lack of legitimacy, now adding to existing concerns is the prospect of a military confrontation,” Brigadier General Vahidi told reporters on Sunday.

The Iranian official said the five-day war games — code-named Turning Point 4 — seeks to lift up the Israeli people’s spirit as they have suffered many a crushing defeat in the past.

Israel’s military maneuvers, which kicked off on Sunday and are slated to be conducted in 68 cities and towns, have raised tensions in the region, prompting the Hezbollah resistance movement to deploy thousands of its fighters in southern Lebanon in the event of any new attack on the country.

On Sunday, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri criticized the Israeli drill, saying it ran counter to the ongoing Middle East peace efforts.

“If Israel wants to talk about peace with the Palestinians, why is it carrying out military maneuvers?” he asked following talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.