Israel Says It Killed Two Key Iranian Military Leaders

Post by : Bianca Suleiman

Photo: Reuters 

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, announced on Saturday that the Israeli military carried out airstrikes in Iran and killed two senior commanders from Iran's powerful military group, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

One of the commanders, Saeed Izadi, was killed in an apartment located in Qom province, Iran. He was a top leader in the IRGC’s foreign operations group called the Quds Force. Specifically, Izadi led the Palestine Corps, which focused on supporting Palestinian armed groups.

Later, the Israeli military confirmed that it had also killed a second commander, Benham Shariyari, in another strike. This happened overnight in western Tehran. His car was targeted in the attack.

According to Israel, Shariyari was responsible for moving weapons from Iran to armed groups across the Middle East. These included Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. These groups have been attacking Israel in recent months, especially after the war that started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched deadly attacks on Israeli towns.

Israel said Shariyari helped send rockets and missiles that were later used against Israel. However, Iranian officials and the IRGC have not yet confirmed whether these commanders were killed.

The Quds Force, part of Iran’s IRGC, has built a network of supporters known as the Axis of Resistance. This group includes Hezbollah, Hamas, and other armed organizations that oppose Israel. The Quds Force helped create Hezbollah in 1982 and has been a long-time supporter of Hamas in Gaza.

Over the past two years, many leaders and fighters from these groups have been killed in Israeli strikes. Since the October 2023 Hamas attacks, Israel has increased its military actions and weakened both Hamas and Hezbollah.

Defense Minister Katz called the killing of Saeed Izadi a major success for Israeli intelligence and air forces. He said Izadi helped plan and support the Hamas attacks on October 7 and gave them money and weapons.

Izadi was already under sanctions by the United States and Britain for his strong ties to both Hamas and another armed group called Islamic Jihad, which also attacked Israel during the same period.

This latest news adds more tension to the already dangerous situation in the Middle East, with countries watching closely to see what happens next.