Iranian Basij Forces Test Military Preparedness in New Drills

Iranian Basij (volunteer) forces staged massive wargames in the country’s Northern province of Semnan on Thursday and Friday to test their military preparedness to defend the country.

Over 10,000 rapid reaction forces of Basij participated in the ‘Towards Beitol-Moqaddas (Jerusalem)’ drills on November 29-30 throughout the province.

Commander of Semnan’s Corps General Ali Ostadhosseini said the drill aimed at fostering the readiness of Basiji voluntary forces and achieving the high goals of Islamic Republic of Iran system.

“We should always be ready in the scene because the enemies are frightened from Iranian people and Basiji voluntary forces’ readiness,” he said.

Earlier this month, Commander of Iran’s Basij (volunteer) force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi announced that “rapid reaction battalions” of the Basij are due to carry out a series of exercises in four Iranian provinces.

In October, Iranian Basij forces staged similar exercises in the country’s Western province of Kermanshah.

Ten thousand Basij forces were present in the drills held in Tangeh Konesh region.

The exercises in Kermanshah came a few days after the IRGC and Basij staged three-day-long ‘Towards Beitol-Moqaddas’ drills in the capital city of Tehran.

Commander of Tehran’s Corps General Mohsen Kazzemeini said 150 IRGC battalions participated in the drills, adding that the exercises were conducted in response to the recent soft and security threats against Iran.