FNA- Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said the IRGC picked up only three ISIL positions out of tens of identified and marked targets after the Iranian leader ordered them to avoid striking the targets where civilians might be present.
"Simultaneous with sending a workflow to Commander-in-chief of Armed Forces (Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei), at first 60 targets were specified by the IRGC Quds Force and presented to the IRGC Aerospace Force, but given the verbal and written emphasis of the Leader for taking utmost care for civilians' life and not harming them, finally 6 missiles were fired at three main targets," General Hajizadeh said, addressing Iranian legislators in Tehran on Tuesday.
The IRGC launched 6 missile strikes at ISIL centers in Syria's Deir Ezzur in retaliation for the June 7 twin ISIL terrorist attacks in Tehran which killed 18 people, it said in a statement issued on June 18, adding that the mid-range ballistic missiles were fired from bases in Western Iran and flew through Iraq's airspace before hitting the targets in Syria.
One day later, Chief of Staff of Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri underlined his country's high missile power one day after the IRGC launched missile strikes against the ISIL bases 700km away in Syria.
"Iran is among the world's big powers in the missile field," General Baqeri said, addressing a meeting in Tehran on June 19.
He stressed the arrogant powers' weakness in confrontation with Iran, and said, "They dont have the capability to engage in clashes with us for now and of course, we dont intend to involve in clashes with them but we are in permanent rivalry with them in different fields, including the missile sector."