Iran squadrons begin first stage of aerial drill

The 'Milad-e Nour-e Velayat' aerial drill, slated to begin Monday, would involve Iranian fighter jets and interceptor aircrafts performing combat operations in three separate stages.

"Iranian fighter jets would hone their bombing and gunnery skills by zeroing in on hypothetical targets," said Moussa Zarei, an influential figure at the tactical fighter base (TFB 10) in the southeastern city of Chabahar.

The Iranian maneuver, one of many conducted in the past few months, comes amid "Israeli" threats of an impending attack on the country's nuclear facilities.

"Israel", in recent years, has strived to portray Iran's missile program, space research and nuclear activities as a "menace" and has thus attempted to draw up a case for war against the country.

Tehran says its nuclear program is directed at developing civilian applications of the technology.

However, Tel Aviv, widely regarded as the sixth-largest nuclear power in the world and the sole possessor of an atomic arsenal in the Middle East, accuses Tehran of developing nuclear weapons.

For years, senior "Israeli" political, military and intelligence figures have threatened to bomb Iran's nuclear infrastructure out of existence, but the prospect of go-it-alone "Israeli" air strikes has significantly risen since Benjamin Netanyahu took up the baton in Tel Aviv.