The IDF confirmed Thursday afternoon that it struck the Iranian navy in the Caspian Sea in northern Iran overnight, releasing dramatic footage of the bombing of missile ships.
In a statement, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said the Air Force, guided by Naval Intelligence and the Military Intelligence Directorate, carried out its first strike in the Caspian Sea since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, targeting a series of key Iranian navy infrastructures.
Ships become balls of fire: IDF releases first footage of Iranian Navy strike in Caspian Sea
(Video: IDF)
As part of the strikes, Air Force aircraft targeted facilities at an Iranian naval port subordinate to Iran’s army, where dozens of military vessels were docked, including missile ships and patrol boats. Among the targets were missile ships, support vessels and patrol craft. According to the IDF, the missile ships that were struck were equipped with air defense systems and additional anti-submarine missiles.
The IDF also said it targeted a central command center from which Iranian naval forces directed routine operations in the Caspian Sea, as well as a key facility used for the repair and maintenance of naval vessels.
“The Iranian navy used the port that was struck to conduct operational activity, which has now been thwarted with the attack on the port and the vessels near it,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said. “This is one of the most significant strikes carried out by the IDF since the start of Operation Roaring Lion. It was conducted in close cooperation between Air Force and Navy commanders from the Air Force command center.”
The statement added that the strike deepens the damage to the regime’s capabilities and undermines the Iranian navy’s control of the maritime space in the Caspian Sea. “The IDF will continue to intensify the damage to the core systems and foundations of the Iranian terror regime,” it said.
The strikes were reported to have taken place near the port city of Bandar Anzali, about 160 miles from Tehran. The Caspian Sea borders Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, all former Soviet republics. According to a 2017 US Navy report, Bandar Anzali is home to the headquarters of the Iranian navy’s Northern Fleet, which is responsible for the Caspian Sea.
US strikes on Iranian Navy vessels
(Video: X)
The Iranian navy has been targeted repeatedly during the war with Iran, though until now only by the United States and not by the IDF. President Donald Trump, who commentators say has sought to demonstrate significant and visible achievements in the fighting, has set the destruction of the Iranian navy as one of his central war aims. According to the US military, more than 120 Iranian naval vessels have been destroyed or damaged so far.