Iranian Maneuvers Near the Iraq Border: Signs of a Possible “Response”?

The military exercises announced by Iran this Sunday raise questions about their objectives.

The official Iranian news agency, IRNA, reported this Sunday that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is conducting military drills in the western regions of the country, which will continue until next Tuesday.

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An IRGC official told IRNA that “the exercises, which began last Friday, are taking place in the Kermanshah province in the west of the country, near the border with Iraq, to enhance combat readiness and vigilance.”

These drills are happening as Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement, on July 31st, while he was in Tehran attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Bezhkian.

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Iran and Hamas accuse Israel of carrying out the assassination of Haniyeh. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its responsibility for the assassination, which has heightened fears of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip escalating into a broader war in the Middle East.

Ali Fadavi, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard, said on Friday that Tehran would follow the orders of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei regarding the matter.

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He added that “the orders of Supreme Leader Khamenei to inflict severe punishment on Israel in revenge for the blood of Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit… and will be executed in the best possible way.”

A tense anticipation prevails in Israel, fearing an Iranian response to Haniyeh‘s assassination, and a potential retaliation by the Lebanese Hezbollah for the assassination of senior party official Fouad Shukr on July 30th. Could these maneuvers serve as a cover for an Iranian response?