IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour declared that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is continuing its retaliatory strikes against Israel without interruption.
Speaking to IRGC commanders on Sunday, Pakpour said, “We are at a critical juncture.”
He emphasized that the IRGC Aerospace Force is carrying out ongoing operations against Israel, which, he claimed, have unsettled the Israeli public.
Pakpour also praised the increased unity among the Iranian people in response to what he described as Israeli aggression.
Pakpour is a brave man, having accepted a job that often comes with restricted longevity. Major General Hossein Salami lasted a little over six years as chief and then was assassinated by Israel on June 13.
The assassinations of Saeed Izadi and Behnam Shahryari on Saturday marked a significant blow to the IRGC and its elite Quds Force—the branch responsible for foreign operations and coordination with regional armed groups.
Izadi, a senior Quds Force commander overseeing ties with Hamas and other Palestinian factions, was reportedly killed in an apartment in the Shiite holy city of Qom. Shahryari, head of Unit 190—which manages the smuggling of weapons and funds to Iran’s regional proxies—was assassinated in a drone strike while traveling by car in western Iran.
Izadi was a key architect of Tehran’s support for Palestinian armed groups and is believed to have played a pivotal role in arming and financing Hamas, including in the lead-up to the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called Izadi’s assassination “a key point in the multi-front war.”
“The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands,” Zamir said. “This is a tremendous intelligence and operational achievement.”
