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IDF Spokesperson/TPS-IL on 21 June, 2025
Israel Eliminates Two Key Iranian Commanders Tied to Weapons Smuggling
Jerusalem, 21 June, 2025 (TPS-IL) -- In a major blow to Iran’s terror financing and arms transferring network, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday the deaths of Saeed Izadi and Behnam Shahriyari, who played key roles the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ relationship with Hamas and other regional proxies.
Their deaths add to a string of assassinations of senior commanders and scientists that have decapitated Iran’s leadership.
Izadi commanded the Palestine Corps within the IRGC’s Quds Forces where he coordinated between Hamas and Tehran.
Hamas documents discovered by Israeli soldiers in a Hamas command center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Yunis showed direct correspondence between Izadi and Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas leader who masterminded the October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Specifically, the documents detailed an initiative called “Tufan 1” in which Izadi tried to facilitate the delivery of $21 million worth of weapons to the terror group. The documents also detailed plans to advance a separate weapons delivery worth $25 million referred to as “Tufan 2.” But according to the IDF, the transfers did not come to fruition because of the army’s “intensive efforts.”
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 53 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
Also killed on Saturday in a separate airstrike was Shahriyari, who commended the Quds Force’s Weapons Transfer Unit (Unit 190)
“As part of his duties, Shahriyari was responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East and worked for years to arm various terrorist organizations in order to directly advance the Iranian regime’s plan to destroy the State of Israel,” the IDF said.
“Shahriyari worked directly with the Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist organizations, alongside the Houthi terrorist regime and other organizations, supplying numerous missiles and rockets, many of which were fired at Israel during the war.”
In addition to leading weapons transfers, the IDF said Shahriyari commanded the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to various terrorist organizations through his unique connections in Turkey and Lebanon, utilizing a network of shell companies, money changers, and couriers. Furthermore, he led the extensive effort to finance and arm these terrorist organizations—an effort that has resulted in the deaths and injuries of many Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on Friday, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defense officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.
Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.
