The Israeli government has announced the killing of the Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, in a targeted military operation.
Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, who confirmed the development on Thursday, stated that Tangsiri was “directly responsible for the terrorist act of bombing and blocking the Strait of Hormuz.”
According to Katz, the naval chief was “blown up” alongside a number of other “senior Navy command officials” whose identities are yet to be fully disclosed, according to the BBC.
Tangsiri, a high-ranking military figure, was appointed as the commander of the IRGC Navy in 2018, having previously served as the deputy commander of the force since 2010.
The Iranian authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the strike.
Tangsiri had been a vocal critic of Western influence in the Middle East. Since March 10, an X (formerly Twitter) account attributed to him had been active, frequently posting warnings about the Strait of Hormuz.
In one of his recent posts, the late commander had insisted that “no vessel associated with the aggressors against Iran has the right to pass through” the strategic waterway.
In 2019, he warned that Iran would shut down the Strait of Hormuz if the country’s oil exports were disrupted by international sanctions.
Consequently, the United States Treasury sanctioned Tangsiri and other IRGC commanders in 2019 after the Iranian military shot down a US surveillance drone near the strait.