Tehran ran a five-day air defence drill over the turn of the year, starting on 26 December. The exercise, codenamed Modafe’an-e Aseman-e Velayat-e 7, involved the army, navy, air force as well as the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Basij (volunteer forces). It was carried out over a large area, extending the length of the Gulf coast as well as over several Gulf islands, including Abu Musa, the Greater and Lesser Tunbs (occupied by Iran but claimed by the UAE) and Kish. Equipment used in the drill included the home-grown Talash missile defence system and ground-based jamming technology designed to divert incoming drones.
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