The Israeli Air Force, acting on precise IDF and Navy intelligence, on Wednesday night conducted a precise strike in Bandar Abbas in which the IRGC's Navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, and the head of IRGC's Navy Intelligence Directorate, Behnam Rezaei, were eliminated.
In a statement following the strike, the IDF noted that Tangsiri had served as the commander of the IRGC Navy over the past eight years, and that Rezaei had also served in his position for a number of years.
"Tangsiri served in several key positions within the IRGC Navy, during which he oversaw the regime’s activities and coordinated efforts between the Iranian military forces in the Persian Gulf area," the IDF said. "Over the years, Tangsiri was responsible for attacks on oil tankers and commercial vessels and personally threatened the freedom of navigation and trade in the Strait of Hormuz and the international maritime domain."
"Throughout Operation Roaring Lion, Tangsiri led efforts to close the Strait of Hormuz and advanced terror attacks in the maritime domain, one of the primary figures responsible for disrupting the global economy.
"Additionally, Tangsiri had been subject to numerous international sanctions due to his direct involvement in carrying out terror attacks against vessels in international waters and in the transfer of air defense systems and UAVs to Russia and Syria."
The IDF emphasized that Rezaei "constituted a central knowledge authority in maritime intelligence."
"As part of his role, Rezaei was responsible for intelligence collection on regional countries and led cooperation with various intelligence organizations."
The statement added, "The elimination of the IRGC Navy senior leadership adds to the list of dozens of Iranian regime commanders who have been eliminated, and constitutes an additional significant blow to the command-and-control arrays of the IRGC and its abilities to orchestrate terror activities in the maritime domain against countries in the region."
"The IDF will continue to operate with determination against commanders of the Iranian regime wherever required."