From the Liveblog of
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Israeli strike in Iran killed IRGC commander who funded and armed Hamas ahead of Oct. 7, Katz says
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Saeed Izadi, the head of the Palestinian Division in the IRGC Quds Force, was killed in an Israeli strike on an apartment in the Iranian city of Qom, Defense Minister Israel Katz says.
Katz says Izadi “funded and armed Hamas ahead of the October 7 massacre.”
“A huge achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Israeli Air Force. Justice for the murdered and the hostages. Israel’s long arm will reach all its enemies,” he adds.
Earlier this year, Katz revealed an intelligence document showing that then-Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Muhammad Deif had sent a letter to Iran’s IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani in June 2021, seeking support for the terror group’s plans to invade Israel, which were ultimately carried out on October 7, 2023.
“In the document, they (the Hamas leaders) ask of the commander of the [Islamic] Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force to transfer $500 million for destroying the State of Israel,” Katz said.
Izadi “accepted the request and replied to them that Iran, despite its difficult economic situation and the plight of the Iranian population, will continue to funnel money to Hamas, because the struggle against Israel and the US is the top priority of the Iranian regime,” Katz said at the time.
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