Iran ramps up military operations across West Asia, claiming dozens of missile strikes while warning against ground invasion, even as reports emerge of a top IRGC commander’s death.
Iranian IRGC Navy commander Alireza Tangsiri reportedly died in a strike as regional tensions escalate. | X/@@alirezatangsiri
Alireza Tangsiri, who headed the naval wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been killed in a strike in Bandar Abbas, Israeli media reported on Thursday, citing an unnamed Israeli official. There has been no official confirmation so far from Iran.
The reported killing comes at a time when tensions in West Asia are sharply rising, with Iran stepping up attacks on US and Israeli targets following recent strikes on its territory. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil route, has also been in focus, with Tangsiri earlier linked to decisions around its closure, according to The Times of Israel.
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The IRGC said it launched a new round of operations targeting US military sites across the region, describing the action as retaliation for earlier strikes on Iranian infrastructure and civilian areas in the north of the country.
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A day earlier, Iranian forces, along with the regular army, carried out multiple attacks under what it calls Operation True Promise 4. According to Iranian claims, 82 waves of missile and drone strikes have been launched so far, aimed at Israeli military facilities and US-linked assets across West Asia.
The escalation has drawn in allied groups as well. Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have joined the operations, the IRGC said, claiming they have inflicted significant damage.
In a strongly worded message, the IRGC warned against any potential ground offensive inside Iran. “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,” it said.
The statement also directly addressed people in the United States, accusing leaders like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu of misleading them about the realities of the conflict. “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,” it added.
Meanwhile, a CBS report said the Pentagon is preparing to deploy elements of the 82nd Airborne Division to the region. The move could include command units and ground forces. There are also indications that a possible ground operation around Iran’s Kharg Island is under consideration.
The IRGC further claimed that its precision-guided missiles, including Emad, Qiam, Khorramshahr-4 and Qadr, struck more than 70 locations in Israel during one of the latest attack waves, hitting areas such as Haifa, Dimona and regions around Tel Aviv. These claims have not been independently verified.
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