‘Blood of Thousands of Israelis is on His Hands’: IRGC Commander Who Backed October 7 Massacre Among Key Leaders Eliminated in IDF Precision Strikes

Latest Developments

• Iranian ‘Palestine Corps’ Commander Killed: The IDF eliminated an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) commander described as a key orchestrator of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel. Saeed Izadi, commander of IRGC-QF’s “Palestine Corps,” was killed in a precision strike on his hideout in the city of Qom on June 21. Izadi coordinated the IRGC’s contact and funding of Hamas in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, and was a close confidant of former Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif. “Saeed Izadi was one of the key figures involved in planning and executing the October 7 massacre. The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands,” IDF chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said. “There are no more cities of refuge in the Middle East.”
• Weapons Transfer and Drone Commanders Eliminated: The IDF also reported on June 21 the elimination of Behnam Shahriyari, commander of IRGC-QF’s Weapons Transfer Unit (Unit 109), during a strike on his vehicle in western Iran. Shahriyari was responsible for the transfer of weapons and millions of dollars annually to Iran’s proxy terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen. On June 19, the Israeli Air Force reportedly eliminated Aminpour Joudaki, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Air Force’s 2nd UAV Brigade, which launched attack drones towards Israel from the area of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran. Joudaki had assumed a key role in Iran’s headquarters of UAV operations after Israel eliminated its commander on June 13.
• Esfahan Nuclear Facility Struck Again: Israel continued degrading Iran’s nuclear weapons program on June 21 by conducting extensive strikes against the Esfahan Fuel Plate Manufacturing Plant. This was the second attack since Israel commenced Operation Rising Lion on June 13. In this plant, Iran had an inactive production line to convert enriched uranium into uranium metal needed to produce nuclear weapon cores. The IDF also bombed another uranium centrifuge production facility in Esfahan after having already struck two other centrifuge factories in Tehran in the previous week.

FDD Expert Response

“Israel made sure to fully eliminate Iran’s known ability to make uranium metal for nuclear weapon cores, dealing a further blow to its atomic weapons supply chain. While it is difficult to assess, this program has likely been set back for months if not years.” — Andrea Stricker, Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program Deputy Director and Research Fellow

“The elimination of Saeed Izadi is one of Israel’s most important tactical achievements since the October 7 Hamas-led massacre. Izadi was a critical liaison between Hamas and its chief patron in Tehran. Izadi’s elimination demonstrates that geographic boundaries will not shield malign actors who are responsible for heinous atrocities committed on October 7.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

FDD Background and Analysis

“What Steps Must Iran Take to Construct Nuclear Weapons?” by Andrea Stricker and FDD’s Visual Intelligence Team

“Israel Eliminates Additional Nuclear Weapons Facilities, Internal Security Forces in Iran,” FDD Flash Brief

“23 Wounded in Latest Iranian Missile Attacks on Israeli Civilians,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Targets Arak Heavy Water Reactor and Weaponization Sites, Destroys Additional Missile Launchers in Iran,” FDD Flash Brief