Iranian armed forces start a major parade on the first day of week-long ceremonies held to commemorate eight years of defense during the 1980’s war with Saddam-ruled Iraq.
The parade, which began Tuesday morning, included marches and aerial maneuvers by parachute jumpers, fighters and helicopters.
The main branches of Iran’s armed forces, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Iranian Military, and the Basij voluntary force all took part in the event, Press TV reported.
“Iranian armed forces will cut off the hands of any attackers before they pull the trigger,” President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an address at a parade broadcast on state television.
Hundreds of troops marched past the official podium packed with top officials, followed by military hardware including Ghadr, Sejil and Shahab-3 long-range missiles which are made in Iran.
Television commentators said the Shahab-3 missile had a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), putting Israel within striking distance.
The official IRNA news agency reported that a military plane crashed near Tehran, but later dropped the report from its website.
