Special to WorldTribune.com

NICOSIA — Iran has been testing upgrades of medium-range rockets
supplied to Hamas and Hizbullah.

The Teheran regime said the Iranian Army fired enhanced variants of two
leading rockets — Nazeat-10 and Fajr-5. The weapons were launched on March
14 during an Army exercise in central Iran in mid-March.

“The missiles, designed and built by experts of the Army Ground Force,
were test-fired during the first day of the Army’s ground drills underway in an operation zone located in Kashan some 340 kilometers south of the Iranian capital,” Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency said.

Iran has acknowledged that it delivered the Fajr-5 to the Hamas regime
in the Gaza Strip. Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired Fajr-5, with a range
of up to 80 kilometers, in attacks on Jerusalem and Tel Aviv during the
mini-war in November 2012.

Nazeat-10 is said to contain a range of 100 kilometers. Officials said
Nazeat was offered to such Iranian allies as Hizbullah and Syria.

Iran was said to have directed an upgrade of Fajr-5 after it failed to
cause significant damage in the latest Hamas war against Israel. The
Palestinian variant of Fajr-5, called M-75, was also said to have performed
below expectations.

The latest Army exercise was said to have included attempted Iranian
interceptions of U.S. aircraft. On March 14, the United States said an
Iranian fighter-jet tried to down a U.S. Air Force Predator unmanned aerial
vehicle.

“One of the U.S. aircraft discharged a flare as a warning to the Iranian
plane, which then broke off pursuit,” U.S. Defense Department spokesman
George Little said.

  Fajr-5, Hizbullah, Iran tests upgrades of rockets it delivered to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Kashan, Nazeat-10, Predator drone