Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced that Alireza Tangsiri, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, was killed in an Israeli operation. This strike, which Katz described as precise and deadly, also resulted in the deaths of other high-ranking naval officials.

“Tonight, in a meticulously executed operation, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) neutralized IRGC Navy Commander Tangsiri and key figures within its naval leadership,” Katz stated in a Hebrew-translated message. “This action targeted the individual responsible for mining and obstructing the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.”

Katz emphasized that the operation sends a strong warning to the leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. “The IDF will systematically pursue and eliminate each of you. I commend the IDF for this flawlessly executed mission,” he added. He also highlighted the operation’s significance for the United States, underscoring the enduring alliance between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and between their nations and military forces.

On February 2, 2024, Alireza Tangsiri visited an exhibition in Bandar Abbas, a port city in southern Iran. (Image courtesy of the Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

A senior Israeli official revealed to Fox News that the strike was informed by intelligence from both the U.S. and Israel. “Alireza Tangsiri, the commander who orchestrated the closing of the Strait of Hormuz—a vital global energy route—was targeted in an overnight strike, along with his top operational team, at a hidden naval command post,” the official stated. “This operation, built on joint U.S. and Israeli intelligence, underscores the depth of penetration achieved in intelligence capabilities.”

“The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, who directly commanded the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints — was targeted in a strike overnight, along with his senior operational leadership, including intelligence and operations chiefs, at a covert naval command center,” the official noted. “This targeted strike was based on U.S. and Israeli intelligence and continues to demonstrate how deeply it is capable of penetrating.”

Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, at the Ministry of National Defense, Athens, Jan. 20, 2026.  (Nick Paleologos / SOOC / AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump launched the controversial war against Iran in conjunction with Israel nearly four weeks ago.

“The Iranian negotiators are very different and ‘strange.’ They are ‘begging’ us to make a deal, which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only ‘looking at our proposal.’ WRONG!!!” Trump declared in a Thursday morning Truth Social post. 

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!” he warned.