TEHRAN, 17 March. - (ANA) - Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed on Sunday to continue to "pursue and kill" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as Tehran announced a new wave of missile and drone attacks against Israeli and US targets.

 

In a statement announcing the 52nd wave of its attacks, the IRGC said the Israeli leader would remain a target of Iranian operations.

 

“If he is still alive, the pursuit and killing of him will continue with force,” the IRGC said.

 

The IRGC also claimed that there was uncertainty surrounding Netanyahu’s whereabouts and said that this reflected what it described as a deepening crisis within Israel.

 

Rumours about the fate of Netanyahu have circulated widely on social media in recent days, with some social media users suggesting he may have been killed or had fled the country amid the escalating conflict.

 

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office has rejected the claims, describing them as “fake news” and saying Netanyahu is alive and continuing to carry out his duties.

 

According to Iranian state television, the latest wave of attacks targeted sites across Israel as well as three US military bases in the region, and were carried out through a combined operation involving missiles and drones.

 

The IRGC said the strikes were launched "in revenge for the blood of workers killed in Iranian industrial cities".

 

It claimed that the continuous sound of ambulance sirens and acknowledgements by Israeli institutions of rising numbers of dead and wounded reflect the scale of the strike targeting industrial sectors in Tel Aviv.

 

The statement also said industrial areas and gathering points for US forces at three air bases — Harir base in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil and the Ali Al Salem and Arifjan bases in Kuwait — were struck by Iranian missiles and drones.

 

In a separate statement issued on Sunday morning, the IRGC announced the 53rd wave of Operation “True Promise 4”.

 

The Guard said the attack involved a composite launch of 10 missiles, including hypersonic Fattah and Qadr missiles, in addition to suicide drones.

 

According to the statement, the strikes targeted US forces at Al Dhafra air base in the UAE, which it said plays a supportive and intelligence role in attacks against Iran.

 

The operation also targeted regional command-and-control centres and Israel’s home front management headquarters, the IRGC said.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/17 March 2026  - - -