Iran on Saturday marked Army Day with a military parade featuring new weapons systems, as well as a truck carrying a massive banner reading “Death to Israel.”
A televised broadcast of the parade was punctuated by repeated cries of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
“If Israel makes a mistake,” the announcer on Iran television said during the broadcast, “those in Tel Aviv and Haifa will not sleep at night, not one person.”
The parade was held at the country's late leader Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini's mausoleum and was attended by President Hassan Rouhani as he reviewed the armed forces.
Many new domestic weapons were unveiled during the ceremony including the Bavar 373 air defense missile system.
The system had received much attention as it was called by the Iranian media as equivalent to Russia's S300 missile system.
Russia announced earlier this week that it would supply the S-300s to Iran shortly, having delayed delivery for several years. The announcement prompted protests from Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned President Vladimir Putin, in vain, to ask him to cancel the deal.
Israel fears the S-300s would complicate any military intervention as a last resort to thwart Iran’s nuclear drive. It also fears Iran could supply the missile defense systems to Syria or Hezbollah, diluting Israel’s air supremacy over Syria and Lebanon.
In a terse statement following a nearly hour-long talk with Putin, Netanyahu assailed the sale of advanced weaponry to Iran as "the direct result of the dangerous deal on the table" between Iran and six world powers.
In an April 14 interview, one official said Israel is monitoring "active and ongoing leakage of Russian material," including SA-22 short-range and SA-17 medium-range air defense systems, via Syria to Iranian-backed Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.
"We've discussed this with our friends in Washington and Europe and made multiple demarches to Moscow over a period of weeks and months," the official said.
"Our red line policy is clear: We view unauthorized third-party transfers of Russian-origin equipment as legitimate targets," he added.
Netanyahu's office released a statement following the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday:
"Israel views with utmost gravity the supply of S-300 missiles from Russia to Iran, especially at a time when Iran is stepping up its aggression in the region and around the borders of the State of Israel. Israel also views with utmost gravity the fact that there is no reference to this aggression in the agreement being made between the major powers and Iran. There is no stipulation that this aggression be halted, whether at the start of the agreement or as a condition for the lifting of sanctions."
Referring to an April 18 military parade in Tehran, Netanyahu said: "Every year the missiles are bigger and enhanced — in accuracy, strength and deadliness; however, one thing does not change. What does not change is the inscription 'Death to Israel' on the missiles.