Netanyahu confirms Israel killed IRGC Navy commander

Israel announced on Thursday that the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, was killed in an airstrike, marking the latest high-ranking Iranian official targeted in its ongoing hunt-and-kill campaign. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later confirmed that all key commanders of the IRGC Navy were eliminated in the strike.

However, Israel removed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf from its hit list after Pakistan requested that Washington avoid targeting them, according to a Pakistani source familiar with the discussions. Qalibaf is reportedly the top Iranian official with whom US President Donald Trump has been indirectly negotiating on terms to end the conflict.

Defense Minister Israel Katz added, "The IDF eliminated the commander of the IRGC Navy, the person directly responsible for mining operations and blocking the Strait of Hormuz, threatening maritime traffic." He described the strike as a "message" to the IRGC: "We will hunt you down and eliminate you one by one. We will continue to operate in Iran with full force to achieve the objectives of the war."

The IDF confirmed that the airstrike also killed the IRGC Navy's intelligence chief, Behnam Rezaei, along with other top naval leadership, though the military did not immediately name all the commanders killed.

Tangsiri was targeted in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas while meeting with senior IRGC Navy officers. According to the IDF, over the years, he was responsible for attacks on oil tankers and commercial vessels and personally threatened freedom of navigation and trade in the Strait of Hormuz and the broader international maritime domain.

Tehran has largely blocked the vital Strait of Hormuz oil route in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, pushing up global energy prices.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hailed Tangsiri's death in a brief video message.

"We are continuing to strike, with full force, targets of the Iranian terror regime," Netanyahu said.

"Last night, we eliminated the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy. This individual has a great deal of blood on his hands, and he was also responsible for leading the closure of the Strait of Hormuz," Netanyahu continued.