Iran naval commander leading closure of Hormuz killed, claims Israel

Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, has been killed in a strike in Bandar Abbas, Israeli media reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed Israeli official. There has been no comment from Iran or from the Israeli military on the strike.

Israel on Thursday claimed to have eliminated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, responsible for "leading the closure of the Strait of Hormuz."

In a short video message, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel continues to strike Iran "with full force", even as the Islamic Republic and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah launched waves of attacks across the Jewish state, forcing people to scramble for cover.

"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 said.

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

He described the operation as "yet another example of the cooperation between us and our ally, the United States, in pursuit of our shared war objectives".

Waves of missile barrages, rockets and drone attacks from Iran and Lebanon triggered sirens all across Israel on Thursday, forcing people to take cover in shelters multiple times already by the afternoon.

Medics and rescue services reported that at least ten people were wounded in Israel in these attacks on Thursday, with multiple impact sites across the country.

Iran launches Operation True Promise 4

On Wednesday, the IRGC and the Iranian Army conducted multiple operations as part of Operation True Promise 4, which was launched immediately after the US-Israeli coalition carried out strikes on Iran.

Iranian armed forces have so far carried out 82 waves of missile and drone strikes with advanced weaponry targeting Israeli military facilities as well as US bases and assets scattered across the West Asia region.

The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have also joined the front against the external aggressors, inflicting heavy blows on the enemy.

IRGC has also issued a warning to the US-Israel forces on considering a possible ground operation within Iranian territory.

"Don't send your children to hell with the deceit of Netanyahu and Trump. The invading soldiers will be deeply drowned and disappear in the million-strong sea of the Iranian nation," the statement warned.

IRGC issues direct appeal to American people

In a direct appeal, the IRGC addressed the American people, warning that they are being misled by warmongers such as Trump and Netanyahu through lies and distortion of battlefield realities.

"The truth of the war you must observe at American gas stations, on the streets of Iran, and in the skies of Tel Aviv and Haifa," the statement read.

According to a CBS report, the Pentagon is expected to deploy troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.

The news report said, citing a source familiar with the planning, that the Pentagon is planning to send elements of the division, including a command component and some ground forces, to the region. A possible ground operation in the Kharg Island is also being contemplated by the US.

IRGC Claims Success of Operation True Promise 4

The IRGC further said that precision-guided Emad, Qiam, Khorramshahr-4, and Qadr missiles struck more than 70 locations across Israel in the 81st wave of Operation True Promise 4. IRGC public relations department claimed the missiles successfully hit targets in Haifa, Dimona, Al-Khudriyya near Haifa, and areas north and south of Tel Aviv.

With inputs from ANI

• THE MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT