If the recent claims made by Israel are verified, the assassinations of Saeed Izadi and Behnam Shahryari would deal a significant blow to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite Quds Force, known for its ties with armed groups in the region.

Izadi, a senior Quds Force commander responsible for coordinating with Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, was reportedly killed in an apartment in the Shia holy city of Qom. Meanwhile, Shahryari, the head of Unit 190 responsible for smuggling weapons and funds to Iran's regional proxies, was assassinated by a drone strike while traveling by car in western Iran.

Izadi played a crucial role in Tehran's support for Palestinian armed groups and was instrumental in arming and financing Hamas, the group behind the 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Israel's military chief, Eyal Zamir, described Izadi's assassination as a pivotal moment in the multi-front war, attributing the deaths of thousands of Israelis to him. He hailed the operation as a significant intelligence and operational success.

It's worth noting that Izadi had narrowly escaped an Israeli air strike in April 2024 targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking Quds Force commanders.

The targeting of Izadi and Shahyari is part of a series of assassinations aimed at senior Iranian military officials, underscoring a growing rift within Iran's intelligence community.

Recent broadcasts on Iranian state TV revealed camouflaged lorries and vans allegedly used for transporting drones, along with footage of makeshift FPV drone factories in southern Tehran. Numerous individuals, including some Afghan refugees, have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Mossad. This has raised concerns among human rights groups, who fear that accusations of espionage are being used as a pretext to silence government critics and opponents of the IRGC.

Amid fears of infiltration, officials have prohibited protection personnel from using internet-connected smartphones for communication. The police chief has urged the public to report any recent or past rental of buildings to suspicious companies or individuals.

While Israel's recent attack on Iran on 13 June grabbed headlines, a covert conflict between the two nations has been ongoing for over two decades, marked by sabotage, cyber-attacks, and targeted killings. Nuclear scientists and Quds Force commanders in Syria and Iran have frequently been targeted, with Mossad believed to be behind many of these operations.