Day 9 of ‘Rising Lion’: Israel degrades nuclear components, kills IRGC commanders amid dozens of Iranian drone attacks

The Israeli Air Force continued flying massive waves of airstrikes across Iran over the weekend, killing three key IRGC commanders and further degrading the Isfahan nuclear site, as well as other parts of the Iran's nuclear program.

Meanwhile, the Iranian regime continued to struggle in its attacks on Israel. A missile barrage of about five missiles early Saturday morning sent millions into their shelters in the Tel Aviv area but resulted in no injuries or major damage.

However, after over 1,000 drone launches, Iranian forces managed for the first time to penetrate the air defenses when a suicide drone hit an empty building in Beit Shean, causing some damage but no injuries.

⭕️40 UAVs were intercepted by the IAF after being fired from Iran overnight.

470+ UAVs have been intercepted since Operation “Rising Lion” which is a 99% success rate. pic.twitter.com/Fung5DnWjA

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 21, 2025

Hours later, another drone crashed in the desert north of Eilat. Overall, the regime launched 15 drones on Friday and over 40 on Saturday.

“The total number of drones intercepted since the start of the operation exceeds 470, maintaining a 99% success rate,” the IDF stated.

In a press briefing on Saturday, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin reminded the Israeli public: “We must remain responsible and alert. Strict adherence to the Home Front Command’s guidelines is essential. The Iranian regime has taken heavy blows to its firepower array – blows that impair its ability to see clearly.”

“Overnight, we deepened the strike on the nuclear site in Isfahan and in western Iran. On the screen, you can see the site where reconversion of enriched uranium takes place. This is the stage following enrichment in the process of developing a nuclear weapon. We had already… pic.twitter.com/UbWO3M8PBV

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 21, 2025

Defrin added that Israel “deepened the strike on the nuclear site in Isfahan” in overnight strikes. The facility is used for the reconversion of enriched uranium.

“This is the stage following enrichment in the process of developing a nuclear weapon. We had already struck the site in the operation’s opening blow – and last night, we struck it again in a wide-scale strike to reinforce our achievements,” Defrin explained.

In addition, Israeli fighter jets struck another centrifuge production site after two similar sites were attacked in Tehran last week. “These cumulative strikes deal a serious blow to the Iranian regime’s nuclear production capabilities,” Defrin said, adding that additional drone and surface-to-surface missile launchers were also attacked.

The IDF also announced the elimination of three key figures in the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Saeed Izadi, one of the orchestrators of the Hamas Oct. 7 invasion and massacre.

Izadi served as the commander of the Palestine Corps in the Quds Force, and maintained direct contact with the Palestinian terrorist organizations in both Judea and Samaria and Gaza.

According to the IDF, Izadi was responsible for coordinating military cooperation between Iran and Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Lebanon and Gaza, and was therefore among the few who knew about the Oct. 7 attack beforehand.

He “invested great effort in advancing the ideology and objectives of the extremist Iranian regime. He was one of the few founders and chief orchestrators of the plan to annihilate the State of Israel – alongside Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad Deif, and other murderous terrorists,” according to the IDF.

“In practice, Izadi was the main link between the Iranian regime and Hamas. The blood of many Israelis are on his hands. We will continue to pursue the orchestrators of October 7 – every last one of them,” the IDF stated.

“The elimination of Saeed Izadi is one of the key points in the war,” said IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir.

“The blood of thousands of Israelis is on his hands. He was the driving force behind the Iran-Hamas axis and a close confidant of Sinwar and Deif… His elimination marks a key point in the multi-front war and makes the entire Middle East a safer place,” he added.

Another Israeli airstrike killed Behnam Shahriyari, the commander of the Quds Force’s Unit 190, who was responsible for weapons transfers to the Iranian proxies, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

🔴ELIMINATED: Behnam Shahriyari, commander of the Quds Force’s Weapons Transfer Unit in the IRGC, was eliminated in a precise IDF strike in western Iran.

Shahriyari was responsible for all weapons transfers from the Iranian regime to its proxies across the Middle East in order… pic.twitter.com/O9nEjuauuW

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 21, 2025

Shahriyari also coordinated “the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to various terrorist organizations through his unique connections in Turkey and Lebanon, utilizing a network of shell companies, money changers, and couriers,” and “led the extensive effort to finance and arm these terrorist organizations,” the IDF stated.

“His elimination represents a severe blow to the ability of the terrorist organizations surrounding the State of Israel to regroup and strengthen after being heavily damaged by the IDF during the war.”

“Izadi and Shahriyari were at the forefront of Iran’s project to export war into Israeli territory. In this operation, we have brought the war to them – we eliminated them inside Iran,” the IDF said.

In addition to Izadi and Shahriyari, the Israeli Air Force also killed Aminpour Joudaki, commander of the second drone brigade of the IRGC’s Air Force.

Joudaki oversaw hundreds of drone attacks on Israel from the Ahvaz region and assumed a key leadership role within the IRGC Air Force after the previous drone unit commander was eliminated.