Iran test fires ballistic missiles

Islamic Republic launches Fajr-5 rockets, used by Hamas to attack Israel, and longer range Nazeat 10

14 March 2013, 12:30 pm

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Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp celebrate after a missile launch in July 2012 (AP/IRNA, Mostafa Qotbi)

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian media said the military has test-fired several short-range missiles, including the type Palestinian militant Hamas group used to attack Tel Aviv last November.

Thursday’s report by the semi-official Fars news agency said the missiles were tested during an army exercise in central Iran. It said the missiles fired were Nazeat-10 and Fajr-5.

During weeks of fighting in November, Gaza’s Hamas rulers fired Iranian-made Fajr-5 rockets that came close to Israel’s heartland, including the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for the first time.

Later, Iran admitted supplying Hamas with the technology to produce Fajr-5. The missile has a range of 75 kilometers, or 45 miles. The range of the Nazeat-10 missiles is about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles.

Iran regularly holds maneuver to test and promote its military power.