Defense Minister Katz told a morning operational assessment meeting with senior military leaders that Israeli forces had eliminated IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri.
Katz said, “Commander Tangsiri directly led terrorist operations, including disrupting maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and laying naval mines.”
He said the strike sent a clear message to the IRGC and warned, “The Israeli military will track down IRGC members and eliminate them one by one.”
Katz added that Israel will continue operations inside Iran, employing all available assets to achieve its war objectives.
Earlier, outlets including the Times of Israel, citing government officials, reported that Tangsiri was killed in an airstrike on Bandar Abbas, the southern Iranian port city on the Strait of Hormuz.
According to one official, Tangsiri had been responsible for the blockade and control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping chokepoint.
The Iranian military has not yet confirmed his death.
Tangsiri, a brigadier general, was appointed commander of the IRGC Navy in 2018. He is credited with modernizing the force’s fast-boat units, naval mine warfare, anti-ship missiles and unmanned surface vessels (drone boats).
