Three commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in separate strikes overnight into Saturday — including the “founder of the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel,” officials in Tel Aviv said.
Saeed Izadi was assassinated when the Jewish state rained missiles down on an apartment in Iran’s Qom province, Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
Izadi led the Palestine Corps of the overseas arm, known as the Quds Force, which was a “key coordinator” between Iran and Hamas — and helped arm the terrorist group ahead of its Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
His main objective was to keep Hamas in control of Gaza, but he also directed forces who were operating from Lebanon, according to Katz.
“As part of his role, Izadi was responsible for increasing the financial funding from Iran to Hamas for terrorist activities against Israel,” Katz said in an X post.
The IDF also said it had “eliminated” Benham Shahriyari during a strike on his vehicle overnight in western Iran.
Shahriyari was “responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East in order to directly advance the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy Israel,” Katz said.
Shariyari led the Quds Force’s Weapons Transfer Unit and supplied missiles and rockets launched at Israel to Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemen’s Houthis, according to the Israeli military.
“His elimination represents a severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organizations surrounding Israel to regroup and strengthen after being heavily damaged by the IDF during the war,” Katz said.
Earlier on Friday, Israel claimed to have killed Amin Pour Joudaki, commander of the Second Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Brigade, in which he “coordinated hundreds of drone launches toward Israeli territory.”
The IRGC did not confirm the killings of its three commanders
The Quds Force built up a network of Arab allies known as the Axis of Resistance, and is responsible for establishing Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1982. It is also a strong supporter of Hamas in Gaza.
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The assassinations come as Iran and Israel entered the ninth day of conflict, exchanging fresh attacks early Saturday. They also come a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear program while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive.
Israel has since targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of the nation’s biggest, but failed to cause any major hazardous materials.
Israel also attacked a building in the city of Qom, with reports that a 16-year-old was killed and two others injured.
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