Iran-Israel War: Who was Behnam Shahriyari? Senior Iranian military officer accused of supplying weapons to Hamas, Hezbollah, killed in Israeli strikes

Amid the ongoing war between Iran and Israel, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) announced on Saturday, i.e., June 21, that it had killed Behnam Shahriyari, the commander of the Quds Force’s Weapons Transfer Unit within Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Alongside him, Saeed Izadi, a senior IRCG commander, was also killed in the strikes, said IDF. 

Shahriyari was responsible for transfer of all weapons from the Iranian regime to its proxies acorss the middle east which the IDF viewed as "efforts to destory Israel". In an official statement posted on 'X', the IDF said, "Shahriyari also commanded the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to various terrorist organizations. 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."

The IDF further confirmed that he was eliminated while travelling in western Iran, 1000 kms from Israel. "He was eliminated more than 1,000 km from Israel while traveling in western Iran. His elimination represents a severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organizations surrounding Israel to regroup and strengthen after being heavily damaged by the IDF during the war", it wrote on 'X'. 

As shown in the video released by the Israel Defence Force, Shahriyari was travelling in his car just when an Israeli missile struck, making it turn into a ball of fire. 

June 21, 2025

According to Israel, Shahriyari headed the IRGC’s clandestine Unit 190, accused of smuggling advanced weapons to Hezbollah, Hamas, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.