Israel assassinated Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, in an overnight airstrike on the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran, an Israeli official revealed on Thursday morning.

Later on Thursday morning, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz confirmed that Tangsiri was killed in the strike, which targeted him during a meeting with senior Navy commanders. Tangsiri was considered one of the most dominant figures in Iran’s naval system, directly responsible for the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and for Iranian terror activity in the Persian Gulf.

In recent weeks, under Tangsiri’s command, Iran deployed naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to disrupt global oil traffic and pressure the West. This move led to the deployment of a special Japanese task force to clear mines and caused a dramatic escalation in maritime tensions in the region.

“Last night, the IDF eliminated the commander of the IRGC Navy, Tangsiri, along with senior naval command officials,” Katz said. “The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist activity of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz was eliminated.”

“This is a clear message to all senior members of the Iranian terrorist organization, the IRGC, which currently controls Iran: the IDF will hunt you down and eliminate you one by one.”

“Congratulations to the IDF on a perfect execution. This is also important news for our American partners, as an expression of IDF assistance in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and of the historic partnership between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and between the two countries and their militaries. We will continue to operate in Iran with full force to achieve the war’s objectives,” Katz asserted.

The port of Bandar Abbas, which serves as Iran’s central economic and military hub, sits strategically on the Strait of Hormuz and houses the Iranian Navy’s main base. The port has been targeted in recent days by unprecedented US and Israeli strikes. The US Central Command also sank 11 Iranian warships in the Gulf of Oman within 48 hours and hit the nearby Shahid Rajaee port, which handles 80% of Iran’s container traffic.

Iran’s Parliament is currently advancing a bill to formalize turning the Strait of Hormuz into the world’s most expensive toll booth.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)