Iran fires ballistic missiles

TEHRAN: Iran fired multiple ballistic missiles on Friday at the close of five days of military drills that generals said were a warning to arch-enemy Israel.

"These exercises were designed to respond to threats made in recent days by the Zionist regime," Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri told state television.

"Sixteen missiles aimed and annihilated the chosen target. In this exercise, part of the hundreds of Iranian missiles capable of destroying a country that dared to attack Iran were deployed," he added. The military drills dubbed Payambar-e-Azadm, or "Great Prophet", began Monday in Bushehr, Hormozgan and Khuzestan provinces, each of which touch the Gulf.