Who was Behnam Shahriyari? Israel eliminates top IRGC weapon smuggler in precision strike deep inside Iran

Israel has eliminated another senior official of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force said the nation's military on Saturday (Jun 21). As per the Israeli military, Behnam Shahriyari, commander of the Quds Force's Weapons Transfer Unit in the IRGC, was killed in a precise IDF strike in western Iran. The announcement of Shahriyari's elimination follows that of another top IRGC commander, Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine Corps of Iran's elite Quds Force. As per the Israeli Defence Forces, Shahriyari was neutralised "more than 1,000 km from Israel while travelling in western Iran".

A 'severe blow' to terrorist organisations surrounding Israel

Lauding Shahriyari's killing as a "severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organisations surrounding Israel," the IDF said that the "heavy damage" wrought by Israeli forces would cripple their ability to "regroup and strengthen".

Who was Behnam Shahriyari?

As per the IDF, Shahriyari was the commander of Unit 190. The Quds Force's weapon unit, believed to be responsible for covert arms transfers from Iran to proxy groups across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. Transfer Unit in the IRGC. He was reportedly "responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East" and played a key role in directly advancing the "Iranian regime's plan to destroy Israel".

"Shahriyari worked directly with the Hezbollah and Hamas terror organisations, as well as with the Houthi regime and other groups, thereby supplying numerous missiles and rockets that were fired at Israeli territory during the war," said the IDF in a statement. It also posted a video of the precision strike that took out Behnam Shahriyari.

In addition to weapons, the IDF said that the IRGC commander "oversaw the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to terror organisations through his unique connections in Turkey and Lebanon, using a network of front companies, currency exchanges, and money couriers."

On X, the Israeli military said that his killing was a "severe blow to the ability of the terror organisations surrounding the State of Israel to rearm after having suffered heavy losses at the hands of the IDF during the war." Shahriyari had reportedly been on Israel’s radar since at least 2009.