Tehran [Iran], March 4 (ANI): Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday launched what it said was the 17th wave of strikes against US, Israeli targets, Press TV reported. According to the IRGC, the Ground Force of IRGC responded to the Israeli-US strikes against Iran with 3 major operations.

Announcing another phase of Operation True Promise 4 on Wednesday, IRGC's Public Relations stated that immediately after the joint Israeli-US strikes, its ground forces launched more than 230 assault drones towards targets in the Occupied Lands and US bases in the region.

'Firing dozens of drones in several waves towards the US military bases in Erbil, and Kuwait, and destroying several terrorist groups' headquarters in northern Iraq, were the first actions of brave soldiers of the IRGC against child-killing aggressors,' said the statement.

IRGC further claimed that a fresh wave of Iranian retaliatory strikes has crippled a major US air base in Bahrain, with strikes destroying command centres. According to the IRGC, Iran's retaliatory strikes left more than 680 casualties for American troops in various US bases in the first two days of the war. Iranian officials have stressed that targeting US military bases in the region constitutes 'legitimate self-defence.'

Referring to Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, they say that Iran has the legal right to defend itself against 'acts of aggression' by the US or the Israeli regime.

Meanwhile, Press TV also reported that the Handala hacking group, pro-Palestinian hacktivist group that targets Israeli organizations, claimed it had breached the Israeli institute of national security studies (INSS). Handala claimed that classified documents, top secret correspondence, confidential recordings, and highly secret bulletins would be released soon.

Earlier, Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz warned that any leader appointed by the Iranian regime to replace Ali Khamenei will be a 'target for elimination,' reported the Times of Israel.

'Any leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue leading the plan to destroy Israel, threaten the US and the free world and the countries of the region, and oppress the Iranian people, will be an unequivocal target for elimination. 'It does not matter what his name is or where he hides,' Katz said in a statement.

'We will continue to act with full force, together with our American partners, to dismantle the regime's capabilities and create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow and replace it,' Katz added.

Israeli Media had earlier reported that Ayatollah Khamenei's son Mojtaba has been chosen as the successor to his father and will take over as Supreme leader. Senior Israeli officials told Ynet news that the Assembly is expected to formally announce Mojtaba Khamenei as successor in the coming hours. (ANI)