Basij to Stage Massive Wargames in Tehran Province Mid Spring

Iran’s Basij (Voluntary) Force plans to stage massive drills dubbed ‘Towards Beit al-Moqaddas (Jerusalem)’ in the capital and other cities of Tehran province in mid spring.
“The exercises will be conducted in (the Iranian month) of Ordibehesht (April 21 to May 21) next (Iranian) year (which starts on March 20),” Commander of Tehran’s Mohammad Rasoulollah Corps Brigadier General Mohsen Kazzemeini told FNA on Tuesday.

Towards Beit al-Moqaddas drills started last year and its second stage has been conducted in 28 provinces of the country so far. The last exercise in the current Iranian year will be staged in the Southeastern province of Kerman in the next few days.

Iran’s Basij Force staged two days of massive drills in 6 provinces of the country on Thursday and Friday.

Basij’s provincial corps started the ‘Towards Beit al-Moqaddas’ and ‘Kossar’ exercises on Thursday.

The drills were staged by Tehran province’s Seyyed al-Shohada, Qom province’s Ali Ibn Abitaleb, Semnan province’s Qaem Al-e Mohammad, North Khorassan province’s Javad al-A’emmeh, Khorassan Razavi province’s Imam Reza and South Khorassan province’s Ansar al-Reza corps.

In relevant remarks last Monday, Commander of Basij’s Qaem Al-e Mohammad Corps Brigadier General Ali Ostad Hosseini told FNA that the 7th round of Basij’s serial ‘Towards Beit al-Moqaddas’ wargames has started in different provinces in recent days, and added that training and practicing blocking operations, distant defense, civil defense, staging raids and anti-heliborne operations, night tactical movement, controlling linking passages and defending sensitive sites will be exercised in the drills.

In December, a provincial commander said that Iran has taught new combat tactics to its Basij forces during the recent ‘Towards Beit al-Moqaddas’ exercises.

Commander of Basij troops in the Southwestern city of Dezful Abdolamir Mohtashami voiced satisfaction in the successful exercise of Towards Beit al-Moqaddas drills on December 12-13, and said, “The two-day military exercises were conducted to increase the preparedness of Ashura and Beitol-Moqaddas battalions in the Quds garrison of Dezful city.”

He underlined that better acquisition and practice of new combat and defense tactics have been among the main objectives achieved during the drills.

“These maneuvers helped a lot to increasing the preparedness of the popular Basij forces,” Mohtashami said.

Fast reaction units of Basij Force staged massive military drills in the Northern Golestan and 8 other provinces across Iran in November.

The massive drills codenamed ‘Towards Beit al-Moqaddas’ were carried out by three operational battalions of Jundollah, Mohammad Rasulollah (PBUH) and Sarallah in Golestan province. The exercises kicked off after an order by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

“The main purpose for these wargames is to retain preparedness and increase the combat capability of the forces to confront any possible move by domestic and foreign enemies,” Lieutenant Commander of Golestan’s Neynava Corps Hossein Karimi told FNA.

He reiterated that these wargames will continue throughout the year.

Fast reaction units of Basij forces have so far conducted tens of similar exercises, codenamed ‘Towards Beitol-Moqaddas’, throughout Iran to promote their power in confrontation against potential enemy threats against the country.

Basij commanders said that Basij would continue training of its units to promote the power of its forces for confrontation against enemies’ hard, semi-hard and soft threats.

In September, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour announced that his forces are scheduled to stage massive wargames in the second half of the current Iranian year (i.e. September 23, 2013-March 20, 2014).

“The IRGC Ground Force will stage drills by the end of the current year,” Pakpour told reporters in Tehran at the time.