Iran fires missiles into Syria to avenge parade attack

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that it launched ballistic missiles into eastern Syria targeting militants it blamed for a recent attack on a military parade, the Islamic Republic's second such missile attack on Syria in over a year.

"The headquarters of those responsible for the terrorist crime in Ahvaz was attacked a few minutes ago east of the Euphrates by several ballistic missiles fired by the aerospace branch of the Guardians of the Revolution," the Guards said on their official website.

"Based on preliminary reports, many takfiri (a term Tehran often applies to Daesh, and Ahvazi separatists) terrorists and the leaders responsible for the terrorist crime in Ahvaz have been killed or wounded in this missile attack," the Guards added.

According to Iran's Fars news agency, the Guards fired Zolfaghar and Qiam missiles, with a range of 750 kilometres and 800 kilometres, respectively.

State television and the state-run IRNA news agency said the attacks "killed and wounded" militants in Syria, without elaborating. Syrian regime media did not immediately acknowledge the strike.

State TV aired footage of one of its reporters standing by as one of the missiles launched, identifying the area as being in Iran's western province of Kermanshah. 

A state TV-aired graphic suggested the missiles flew over central Iraq near the city of Tikrit before landing near the city of Abu Kamal, in the far southeast of Syria.

Abu Kamal is held by forces loyal to Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad. However, the city has been targeted even now by militants from Daesh group, who have lost almost all the territory they once held in Syria and Iraq.

More confusion over who attacked parade

The attack adds to confusion over who carried out an assault on a military parade in Ahvaz on September 22 that killed at least 24 people and wounded over 60.

Iran initially blamed Arab separatists for the attack in which gunmen disguised as soldiers opened fire on the crowd and officials watching the parade from a riser in the southwestern city. 

Arab separatists also immediately claimed the attack and offered details about one of the attackers that ultimately turned out to be true.

Daesh also claimed responsibility for the assault, but initially made factual incorrect claims about it. 

Later, it released footage of several men that Iran ultimately identified as attackers, though the men in the footage never pledged allegiance to the extremist group.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in Iran, said last week that the militants responsible for the Ahvaz attack were paid by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and that Iran would "severely punish" those behind the violence.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have denied involvement in the attack.

Third such attack

This is the third time in recent months that Iran has fired its ballistic missiles in anger.

Last year, Iran fired ballistic missiles into Syria over a bloody Daesh attack on Tehran targeting parliament and the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. 

In September, Iran fired missiles into Iraq targeting a base of an Iranian Kurdish separatist group. The separatists say that strike killed at least 11 people and wounded 50.