Tehran [Iran], March 4 (ANI): The Iranians have hardened their position as the conflict in West Asia entered Day 5. On Wednesday, Mohammad Mokhber, a senior aide to the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei told state TV that Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States and can continue the Middle East war for as long as needed.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) earlier said that it had 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.

Iran's state media also reported that Iranians will bid farewell to late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a ceremony later tonight at Tehran's Imam Khomeini prayer ground. The ceremony will last for three days and the funeral procession will be announced when it is finalized. (ANI)