Iranian naval commander Alireza Tangsiri killed in attack, Israel says

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Defence minister claims Israel kills Alireza Tangsiri, citing his role in blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

An Israeli air strike has killed the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy, Israel’s defence minister says.

The assassination of Alireza Tangsiri was carried out on Wednesday night and targeted other “senior officers of the naval command”, Israel Katz said on Thursday in a video statement.

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“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated,” he said.

Since the start of the United States-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the assassination of several top Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and security chief Ali Larijani.

The toll on civilians is far heavier.

In almost one month, at least 1,937 people have been killed, including 452 women and children, Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera, while thousands more have been injured. In addition, at least 24,800 people have been injured, including some 4,000 women and 1,621 children, Jafarian added.

Earlier, Al Jazeera reported on the latest victims – two teenage boys who were killed in Shiraz.

Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said there was no official Iranian confirmation yet of Tangsiri’s killing.

“But if it’s true, it’s going to be another major blow for a country that has already experienced a lot of military commanders being killed,” he said.

“Tangsiri is especially significant, given his role in Iran, exerting control over the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz. In recent days, he had issued strong warnings, specifically addressing the Israelis and Americans and specifically talking about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.”

The head of the Basij paramilitary forces, Brigadier General Gholamreza Soleimani, and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib were also assassinated in Israeli attacks.

In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.

(Al Jazeera)

Last week, Israeli air attacks hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.

Iran has been blocking ships it perceives as linked to the US and Israeli war from the Strait of Hormuz, but it is letting a trickle of others through the crucial waterway.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, said Iran was charging for safe passage through the strait.

On Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Iran was letting its tankers pass through the strait, after talks with Iranian, Turkish and other regional leaders.