Air Defense Drill Begins One Day After 'Reveal of a Missile City' by the IRGC

One day after the announcement of a new 'missile city' by the IRGC, Iranian media reported the commencement of the '1403 Air Defense Power' drill by the army, focusing on air defense forces. According to ISNA news agency, the joint drill began at dawn on Sunday, January 23, in the air defense areas of the west and north in Fordow and Khondab. Fordow, near Qom, is the site of part of Iran's nuclear facilities, which Iran recently agreed to allow for renewed inspections, and Khondab, near Arak, is home to a heavy water reactor. On Saturday, the IRGC unveiled what the Islamic Republic's television referred to as an 'underground missile city', while armed Basij members marched in the streets of Tehran under the title 'Quds Pilgrimage Drill'. The broadcast of a video titled 'Missile City' and the parade of Basij forces in Tehran occurred at a time when Iran's allied forces in the region have weakened and Donald Trump is soon to enter the White House. On the evening of Friday, January 21, the Islamic Republic's television aired a video featuring Hossein Salami, the IRGC's commander, visiting 'a missile city in the heart of the mountain'. The video did not mention the location or military characteristics of these facilities, only stating that Iran's missile attacks on Israel originated from these sites. Salami stated in part of the video that the claim that 'our production power has been interrupted' is incorrect and that 'our missile power is up-to-date'. Previously, officials from various countries and military experts have stated that retaliatory attacks by Israel have severely damaged Iran's air defense and missile capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated about two months ago that his country's airstrikes effectively led to the destruction of air defense, missile production capability, and 'a specific section' of Iran's nuclear program. Salami's remarks seem to be a response to these analyses in the West, claiming that recent developments in the Middle East have not harmed the position of the Islamic Republic. According to the IRGC commander, 'the enemy attempted to portray in the psychological and media operational space that current developments have weakened the power and authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Concurrently with this stance from the IRGC commander, Kiumars Heydari, the commander of the army's ground forces, stated on Saturday that 'all American interests in the region are within our range and we have operational capability', adding, 'the enemy has launched a hybrid war against Iran that we must always be prepared to confront.' Hours before the announcement of the 'missile city reveal', Tehran's streets witnessed the presence of Basij members in an event titled '110,000-strong Quds Pilgrimage Drill'. Hassan Hassan-zadeh, the commander of 'Mohammad Rasoulallah IRGC of Tehran', who organized the event, stated that the goal was to 'boost the morale of offensive forces' and 'put the enemy in its place'. According to 'Sepah News', the Tehran IRGC commander stated that through Basij bases in Tehran, '124,000 food packages, 1,024 sets of dowries, and 24,000 school supply packages' would be distributed. Many social media users pointed out the sudden and unplanned nature of this armed march, the 'locking' of vehicle traffic, and the forced confinement of citizens in polluted air. Meanwhile, the public relations office of the Tehran IRGC denied a report published in the Shargh newspaper. The Shargh network had previously quoted Hassan Hassan-zadeh as saying that 'at least 27,000 brothers and sisters from Afghanistan residing in Iran have filled out participation forms for the drill.'