Last week, 29 Iranian soldiers were wounded in a terrorist attack on an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps military parade in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. Both Islamic State (IS) and a local separatist group claimed responsibility, but Tehran retaliated only against the former—launching long-range missiles from its own territory at IS positions in Syria. Ron Ben-Yishai argues that more is at stake here for the Islamic Republic than maintaining deterrence:
Iran . . . blamed Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States [for] the attack in Ahvaz. . . . It is . . . likely that by launching the long-range missiles the Revolutionary Guard . . . meant to send a threatening message to the West. Western countries—the United States, the European Union, and of course Israel—have demanded that Iran stop developing or using long-range ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. This is one of the main points of contention between Iran and the United States.
Therefore, Iran’s latest actions are a defiant move against the United States, whose special forces are fighting IS in the same region struck by Tehran’s missiles. By targeting Syria, Iran also sent a message to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and other Arab countries in the Persian Gulf—namely, that Iran is capable of launching missiles and causing harm even from its sovereign territory.
Read more on Ynet: https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5362602,00.html