Middle East: According to Iranian media reports, the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) deployed various advanced missile systems during the latest wave of ‘Operation True Promise III’ on Saturday.

Citing an “informed source,” media reports said Emad, Ghadr, and Kheibar Shekan missiles were launched in the latest strikes targeting the Israeli-occupied cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv.

The Emad ballistic missile, an upgraded variant of the Ghadr, features enhanced guidance and accuracy and was tested and commissioned in late 2015.

It incorporates a newly designed maneuverable warhead with fins at its base, allowing it to steer toward its target after re-entering the atmosphere.

According to Iranian military officials, Emad is capable of full guidance and control until impact, making it Iran’s first precision-guided missile.

Powered by liquid fuel, the Emad missile measures 15.5 meters in length, weighs 1,750 kg, has a range of 1,700 km, and boasts a circular error probable (CEP) of 50 meters.

The Ghadr missile, introduced in 2005, is an improved iteration of the Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile, which has been in Iranian service since 2003.

It is a two-stage rocket featuring a liquid-fueled first stage and a solid-fueled second stage, produced in three variants: Ghadr-S with a 1,350 km range, Ghadr-H with 1,650 km, and Ghadr-F with 1,950 km.

Measuring between 15.86 and 16.58 meters in length with an airframe diameter of 1.25 meters, the Ghadr weighs between 15 and 17.5 tons.

Its increased length compared to the Shahab-3 accommodates enlarged fuel and oxidizer tanks, carrying an additional 1,300 to 1,500 kg of propellant and enabling the engine to burn for an extra ten or more seconds.

To offset this added mass, the missile’s airframe is constructed using lightweight aluminum alloy components, reducing inert weight by about 600 kg compared to the all-steel design.

The warhead weight was reduced from 1,000 to 650 kg, extending the missile’s range from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 kilometers.

The Ghadr also features a reshaped “baby-bottle” warhead design that improves aerodynamics and precision. Combined with an advanced guidance system, this design reduces its CEP from 2,500 meters to between 100 and 300 meters.

The Kheibar Shekan missile is a medium-range ballistic missile designed for strategic strikes and has demonstrated effectiveness in previous engagements.

Both the Kheibar Shekan-1 and Kheibar Shekan-2 variants are reportedly capable of penetrating Israel’s advanced air defense systems, including the Arrow-3 and David’s Sling.

With an estimated range of approximately 1,450 kilometers (about 900 miles), the Kheibar Shekan can carry conventional or possibly non-conventional warheads, making it particularly lethal.

It employs advanced guidance technology, including maneuverable reentry vehicles (MaRVs) designed to evade missile defense systems. The missile is propelled by a two-stage solid-fuel engine, enabling quicker launch readiness compared to liquid-fueled counterparts.

It is intended to strike strategic, high-value targets with precision, such as critical infrastructure and military bases deep inside enemy territory.

The recent wave of missile and drone strikes against the Zionist entity began on Saturday night, following the initial phase of the retaliatory operation launched on Friday.

The operation is in response to a series of terrorist attacks by Israel on different Iranian cities, including Tehran on Friday morning as well as on Saturday, resulting in the assassination of many high-ranking military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians, including children.

This unprecedented military operation is being conducted under the codename “Ya Ali ibn Abi Talib,” coinciding with the blessed occasion of Eid al-Ghadir.

The IRGC’s public relations department issued a statement confirming that its aerospace division had initiated this fresh phase of the operation in direct response to renewed aggression by the Zionist regime. Some media outlets have described the latest Iranian strike as the largest missile attack ever carried out by the Iranian armed forces against the occupied territories.

Source: Press TV