Iran unveils Khaybar missile capable of reaching Israel

Iran on Thursday presented to the world a new ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers (around 1,240 miles) and capable of carrying a 1,500-kilogram (approximately 3,300-pound) warhead, Tehran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported.

The fourth-generation Khorramshahr-class missile is Iran’s longest-range projectile to date and is capable of reaching Israel.

It is named Khaybar after the place in present-day Saudi Arabia where the Muslim Prophet Muhammed’s forces defeated Jewish tribes in 628 C.E. Muslims often chant, “Khaybar, Khaybar, oh Jews, the army of Mohammed will return” at anti-Israel rallies.

The May 25 ceremony broadcast live on state television was attended by Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani and featured a replica of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Ashtiani said that the missile was unveiled to “provide comprehensive support to our friends and countries that are on the path of fighting against the domination system.”

Speaking at the ceremony, he said the missile was the result of years of work by Iranian scientists at the Defense Ministry’s Aerospace Industries Organization, adding that the missile was equipped with radar-evading technology that can circumvent enemy air-defense systems.

“We are taking steps to equip the armed forces in various areas of missiles, drones, air defense, and so on, and the unveilings will definitely continue in the future,” Ashtiani said.

The regime in Tehran has repeatedly threatened Israel, including President Ebrahim Raisi earlier this month warning that the Jewish state would be destroyed if its military launched a direct strike against his country.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Israeli officials have made multiple statements in recent weeks regarding the possibility of a joint strike on Iran’s nuclear program, in an effort to increase deterrence.