November 27-2015
Thousands of Pasdaran have held a war game simulating the capture of Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque from Israeli control.
Iran’s state media reported that the forces Friday stormed and “liberated” a replica of the mosque built outside Qom.
They say that 120 “brigades” from the Basij, the paramilitary arm of the Pasdaran, also participated in Friday’s exercise.
The drill included helicopters, drones and Brazilian-built Tucano planes that bombed hypothetical enemy positions before ground troops captured the replica of the mosque set up atop a mountain.
In a common mistake, the Pasdaran built a replica of the gold-topped Dome of the Rock instead of the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Official photos showed one of the troops going to the top of the dome and waving an Iranian flag and a red-colored flag, a symbol of martyrdom.
Photos showed explosions from bombings all around the mosque. While the replica was built on open land, the actual mosque lies in a densely packed urban area occupied mainly by Muslims.
The actual Jerusalem complex, which is holy to both Jews and Muslims, has been at the heart of weeks of unrest between Israel and Palestinians. Muslims call the spot the Noble Sanctuary, and it is Islam’s third holiest site after Mecca and Medina. Jews revere the spot as the Temple Mount, home to the biblical Temples and the holiest site in Judaism.
The current clashes, which erupted in September, were sparked in part by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over the site, a recurring charge for a half century and one that Israel has denied for half a century.
The Iranian military exercise appeared to be largely for show and intended to impress the Iranian public. Iranian commanders have not said how they would be able to deploy large numbers of ground forces against far-away Israel. Even during the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War, Iranian troops never managed to reach more than a dozen kilometers (8 miles) into Iraq.
