Israel says Iranian leader who ordered Strait of Hormuz closure killed in targeted strike

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri was targeted and killed successful an Israeli attack, Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz has noted.

"Tonight, successful a precise and lethal operation, nan IDF eliminated nan Commander of nan IRGC Navy, Tangsiri, on pinch elder members of nan naval command," Katz noted, according to a translator from Hebrew. "The man who was straight responsible for nan violent enactment of mining and blocking nan Strait of Hormuz to navigation has been targeted and eliminated."

"This is simply a clear connection to each elder officials of nan Iranian IRGC panic statement presently ruling Iran: The IDF will hunt and destruct you 1 by one. I congratulate nan IDF connected a cleanable execution," Katz indicated. "This is besides important news for our American partners, arsenic an look of nan IDF's assistance successful reopening nan Strait of Hormuz and nan historical business betwixt U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and betwixt our 2 countries and 2 armies."

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The Iranian Revolutionary Guard's navy commander, Alireza Tangsiri, toured an accumulation successful nan confederate larboard metropolis of Bandar Abbas, Iran, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024.  (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

The onslaught was executed based connected American and Israeli intelligence, a elder Israeli charismatic indicated to Fox News.

"The caput of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy, Alireza Tangsiri, who straight commanded nan closure of nan Strait of Hormuz — 1 of nan world’s astir captious power chokepoints — was targeted successful a onslaught overnight, on pinch his elder operational leadership, including intelligence and operations chiefs, astatine a covert naval bid center," nan charismatic noted. "This targeted onslaught was based connected U.S. and Israeli intelligence and continues to show really profoundly it is tin of penetrating."

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

President Donald Trump launched nan arguable warfare against Iran successful conjunction pinch Israel astir 4 weeks ago.

"The Iranian negotiators are very different and ‘strange.’ They are ‘begging’ america to make a deal, which they should beryllium doing since they person been militarily obliterated, pinch zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publically authorities that they are only ‘looking astatine our proposal.’ WRONG!!!" Trump declared successful a Thursday greeting Truth Social post. 

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President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arsenic he arrives astatine nan White House connected Sept. 29, 2025, successful Washington, D.C.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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"They amended get superior soon, earlier it is excessively late, because erstwhile that happens, location is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t beryllium pretty!" he warned.

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report