Iran Revolutionary Guards Say They Kill 6 ‘Bandits’ in Restive Area

An Iranian guard tower along the Afghan border. (AFP)
An Iranian guard tower along the Afghan border. (AFP)
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Iran Revolutionary Guards Say They Kill 6 ‘Bandits’ in Restive Area

An Iranian guard tower along the Afghan border. (AFP)
An Iranian guard tower along the Afghan border. (AFP)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed six "armed bandits" in the country's southeast on Saturday, the force said on its website, in a second day of clashes in an impoverished and often restive region.

Three local members of the volunteer Basij militia fighting alongside the Revolutionary Guards were killed in the clashes, the statement said.

The Sistan-Baluchistan province near the Pakistani and Afghan borders has long been plagued by unrest from both drug smuggling gangs and extremist militants fighting the country's authorities.

On Friday, Revolutionary Guards shot dead three men believed to have been involved in the killing of two Guards on December 25, according to Iranian media.



Israel Signs $500 Mln Deal on Interception System that Strikes Down Rockets, Missiles and Drones

06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)
06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)
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Israel Signs $500 Mln Deal on Interception System that Strikes Down Rockets, Missiles and Drones

06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)
06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)

Israel’s Defense Ministry said Monday it has signed a $500 million deal to begin production of a laser interception system that can strike down incoming rockets, missiles and drones.

The Iron Beam will be produced by two Israeli companies and is expected to be ready in a year’s time, the ministry said.

Israel already has an elaborate, multilayered aerial defense system that relies on interceptors to strike down incoming missile fire and drones. But Israel has said the Iron Beam system will be a game changer because it would be much cheaper to operate than existing systems. It is expected to be operational within a year

The aerial defense array includes the Iron Dome, which intercepts short range missiles and drones, David’s Sling, which intercepts medium-range missiles, and The Arrow, which intercepts long-range ballistic missiles.

“The Iron Beam will complement the Iron Dome, and the combination of laser and missile interception will further strengthen our defense systems against rockets, missiles, UAVs, cruise missiles, and additional threats,” the ministry said.

The vast majority of missiles and drones fired at Israel during the ongoing Mideast wars have been intercepted. However, some have made it through and drones have become a particular challenge to shoot down.