- As attack claims five lives in Lebanon
The Israeli Defence Minister, Israel Katz, says the Iranian Naval Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Alireza Tangsiri, has been killed along with other “senior officers of the naval command” in an overnight airstrike that targeted Teheran, the Iranian capital city.
According to available reports, Tangsiri was “directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the strait of Hormuz” and has been “blown up”, Katz said in a video statement.
With the news of Tangsiri’s death making the rounds, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said his country will continue to strike Iranian targets “with full force”.
Commenting on the reported assassination of the Iranian Naval Commander, Netanyahu says, “We will continue to forcefully strike the targets of the Iranian terrorist regime.”
A translation of Netanyahu’s brief video statement quoted him as saying: “Last night, we eliminated the Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps navy. This man had a great deal of blood on his hands, he was also the one who led the closure of the strait of Hormuz.
“This is yet another example of the cooperation between us and our friend, the United States, toward the common goal of achieving the objectives of the war.”
Israel’s allies, the United States (US) have not commented on the claimed assassination.
Similarly, AFP news agency, which carried the report, said the Iranian authorities are yet to comment on the claims by Israel.
If confirmed, Tangsiri would be the latest in a string of senior Iranian officials targeted and killed since Israel and the US began their joint attacks against Iran on 28 February.
Among the high profile assassinations are supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.
In a related development, Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least five people on Thursday
This is as Hezbollah militants claimed they had also staged a new wave of attacks on Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced the killing of a soldier in fighting around south Lebanon, raising to three the total number of troops killed since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into war with Israel.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on 2 March to avenge the killing of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran, who has been the major supporter of the militant movement. – With Agency reports
