Tehran: The longer the war drags on, the more defiant Iran is getting.
A month into the conflict in West Asia, Donald Trump and his aides seem a tad unsure about how to end the war they started along with Israel on February 28 by launching missile strikes on Tehran and killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran upped the ante by issuing a fresh warning to the US after media reports said Pentagon was set to send more American troops to the Middle East for a possible ground invasion of Iran.
Iran’s military released a video in which its spokesperson, Lt Col Ebrahim Zolfaghari said that if Americans attempted a ground invasion, the consequences would be dire and US troops will be “good food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf”.
Zolfaghari took a swipe at US
President Donald Trump, calling him a pawn of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is sending the US Army into “a deadly quagmire”.
Iran also claimed it carried out a missile and drone strike on a US-operated air base in Saudi Arabia on Friday, damaging precious military assets, including a high-value airborne warning and control system aircraft.
Iran’s Press TV reported that the Prince Sultan Air Base was targeted, where a Boeing E-3 Sentry — an airborne early-warning platform used to track aircraft and missiles, and coordinate battlefield operations — was allegedly hit, along with several refuelling planes.
Press TV released photos purportedly showing visible damage to the aircraft, with reports claiming only parts of the fuselage remained intact.
The E-3 Sentry is estimated to cost over $700 million.
Associated Press cited officials as saying that Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at the base.
At least 15 American personnel were injured in the strike, including five seriously, the latest report said.
The Prince Sultan Air Base, located 96 km from Riyadh, has been targeted several times over the last four weeks.