JERUSALEM, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Thursday that its air force, under intelligence guidance, struck Iranian navy infrastructures in the Caspian Sea.
The strikes, carried out on Wednesday, included targets at the Iranian Navy port and base facilities where dozens of military vessels, including missile ships and guard boats, were stationed, it said.
Navy vessels were targeted, including missile ships, support vessels, boats, and guard ships, it said.
Also struck were a port command center, from which Iranian Navy forces controlled naval operations in the Caspian Sea, and a central infrastructure facility used for vessel repair and maintenance, it said.
"The Iranian Navy used the port to advance ongoing operational activity that was impaired by striking the port and the adjacent vessels," it said, claiming that the strikes have further degraded the Iranian capabilities and impaired the Iranian Navy's control of the Caspian Sea.
The development came amid heightened tensions following joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran starting on Feb. 28, to which Iran and its regional allies responded with attacks on Israeli and U.S. interests across the Middle East. ■
