Israel says he has killed a senior Iranian commander who helped plan Hamas attack October 7, 2023 on Southern Israel, on a Saturday strike in the city of Qom.

Israeli defense forces (IDF) said the assassination of Saeed Izadi marked a key point in the conflict. He was the “one of the attack orchestra”, who killed about 1,200 people and saw many others sent to Gaza as hostages, said Idf Eyal Zamir chief.

“The blood of thousands of Israelis is in his hands,” he said on Saturday, calling it “extraordinary intelligence and operational achievement.”

Iran did not report the assassination of Mr. Izad and previously denied involvement in Hamas’s attack.

Idf said he had killed him on strike at an apartment in Qom, south of Tehran, in the early hours of Saturday. He had been responsible for the Palestine Corps of the Iranian Revolutionary Corps (IRGC), responsible for dealing with ties with Palestinian armed groups.

He is said to be instrumental in Hamas’ armament and funding, and had been responsible for military co -ordination among IRGC senior commanders and Hamas leaders, Idf said.

In April 2024, Mr. Izad survived an Israeli air strike aimed at the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, Syria – an attack that killed several high -ranking force commanders.

Israel later on Saturday also said he had killed another Quds force commander, Behnam Shahriyari, on a drone strike while traveling by car through Western Iran.

He had been responsible for transporting missiles and missiles to groups of Iran representatives throughout the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Idf said.

If Israeli reports are confirmed, new killings present a major blow to IRGC.

The attacks come as the conflict between the two countries entered its ninth day, with both new attacks on Saturday.

Iran said Israel had targeted a nuclear structure near the city of Isfahan. Israel said it was aiming for military infrastructure in the south-west Iran and reported at least an influence from Iranian drones entering its airspace.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, told reporters in Istanbul that any US involvement in the conflict would be “very dangerous”. On Friday he told European envoys in Geneva on Friday that Iran would not resume talks on his nuclear program until Israel’s attacks stopped.

Donald Trump has suggested the involvement of the US in Israeli strikes in Iran, saying that Tehran had a “maximum” for two weeks to avoid potential US air attacks if not negotiated on their nuclear program.

Iranian officials say at least 430 people, including military commanders, have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since the beginning of the conflict on June 13. A human rights group that follows Iran, the Human Rights News Agency, set the unofficial number of death on 657 on Friday.

In Israel, officials say 25 people have been killed including one by a heart attack.