Iran unveils underground base in response to US-Israel exercises

Tehran, Iran – Iran's army has unveiled a major underground base to showcase its aerial military capabilities in response to significant joint exercises by the United States and Israel. State television on Tuesday showed footage of a variety of fighter jets and military drones at the base, dubbed the "Eagle 44", the location of which remains unknown. It said the base is dug in the mountains to protect it from ammunition dropped from US strategic bombers that are capable of penetrating defences. The unveiling, which was attended by top military officials, comes less than two weeks after the US and Israel held their largest-ever joint drill, using thousands of troops and dozens of aircraft in addition to naval vessels and artillery systems in what was widely seen as a message to Iran amid rising tensions. That joint drill had in turn come days after Iran held wide-ranging exercises to showcase its military readiness.