Israel claims killing three senior IRGC commanders
Shafaq News/ Israel has killed three senior commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in coordinated airstrikes, escalating a rapidly intensifying confrontation with Tehran.
According to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, an airstrike in Qom eliminated Saeed Izadi, who led the Quds Force's Palestine Corps. Katz described the operation as a 'major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force,' highlighting Izadi's role in arming and funding Hamas ahead of the October 7 attacks.
Both the US and the UK had previously sanctioned Izadi for his links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
#عاجل 🔻جيش الدفاع قام بالقضاء على المدعو سعيد إيزادي قائد فيلق فلسطين في فيلق القدس والذي يُعدّ حلقة الوصل بين النظام الإيراني وتنظيم حماس الإرهابي ومن مؤسسي الخطة الإيرانية لتدمير إسرائيل❌خلال ساعات الليلة الماضية وفي عملية مشتركة بين سلاح الجو هيئة الاستخبارات هاجمت طائرات… pic.twitter.com/iSP32lrzYA
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 21, 2025
In a separate strike, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced the killing of Behnam Shahriari, head of the Quds Force's Unit 190, which handles weapons transfers. Israeli aircraft reportedly targeted his vehicle in western Iran, over 1,000 kilometers from Israeli territory, following intelligence provided overnight by Military Intelligence.
Shahriari allegedly oversaw arms shipments to Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, while also running a financial network using shell companies, money exchangers, and couriers in Turkiye and Lebanon. Israeli officials accuse him of funneling hundreds of millions of dollars annually to allied armed factions.
#عاجل ❌ على بُعد حوالي 1000 كيلومتر من دولة إسرائيل وأثناء تنقّله: القضاء على قائد وحدة نقل الوسائط القتالية التابعة لفيلق القدس الإيراني المدعو بهنام شهرياري🔻خلال ساعات الليلة الماضية وبناءً على توجيه استخباراتي دقيق من هيئة الاستخبارات العسكرية هاجمت طائرات سلاح الجو وقضت… pic.twitter.com/W1l8C3jNhG
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 21, 2025
Israel also reported eliminating Amin For Godkhi, commander of the IRGC's 2nd UAV Brigade, responsible for drone operations from Ahvaz. He had recently replaced a predecessor killed on June 13. The location of the strike was not disclosed.
#عاجل ❌ جيش الدفاع قضى على قائد فوج المسيرات الثاني في سلاح الجو التابع للحرس الثوري الايراني🔻قضى جيش الدفاع أمس في غارة شنتها طائرات حربية على المدعو أمين فور جودكي قائد فوج المسيرات الثاني في الحرس الثوري الإيراني. ⭕️في اطار مهام منصبه أشرف على إطلاق مئات المسيرات نحو… pic.twitter.com/X4SnAsx3aG
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 21, 2025
The IRGC did not issue a statement regarding the reported assassinations.
The strikes come as tensions between Israel and Iran spiral. Iran's Fars News Agency reported Israeli strikes on two sites: a key nuclear facility in Isfahan and a residential building in Qom. The Qom attack reportedly killed a 16-year-old boy and injured two others. Iranian authorities confirmed no radiation leak from the Isfahan site.
Iran's Health Ministry announced nearly 4,000 casualties since Israeli airstrikes began on June 13, with 430 killed and over 3,500 wounded.
In retaliation, the IRGC launched the 18th wave of 'Operation True Promise 3,' claiming it targeted Israeli military assets—including Ben Gurion Airport—using Shahed-136 drones and precision missiles.
The IRGC asserted that its drone formations breached Israeli airspace, evaded interception, and forced civilians into shelters, warning of continued strikes as part of what it called a 'strategic response' to Israeli aggression.
Around 2:30 a.m. local time, air raid sirens sounded across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and the occupied West Bank, after Iranian ballistic missiles were detected. Several were intercepted, but debris from one caused a rooftop fire in a residential area.
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