Tehran shocked by Israel's assassination of top Iranian general Nilforoushan, says Iran expert

The elimination of Iranian deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Abbas Nilforoushan, in late September shocked the Iranian regime, according to Benny Sabti, an Iran expert at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv.

Sabti told the Israeli news outlet Maariv this week that the death of Nilforoushan constitutes a serious blow to the IRGC and its efforts in financing and arming Hezbollah and other terrorist militias that threaten the Jewish state.

"This man was the head of operations in the Revolutionary Guards, and many missions, supplies, and budgets passed through his hands. The man was primarily responsible for everything that concerns us, approving budgets and transferring weapons to Syria and Lebanon, and indeed for maintaining all the activities of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations that operate mainly through connections with Syria," Sabti explained.

Nilforoushan was killed on Sept. 27, alongside Hezbollah leader Sec.-Gen. Hassan Nasrallah and about 20 other senior Hezbollah leaders, when the Israeli Air Force (IAF) bombed Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.

The Iran expert stressed that Nilforoushan was a radical and formidable enemy of Israel and the West.

"He was one of the extremists. He was 14 when the revolution in Iran took place, and at that age, he enlisted in the Iran-Iraq war. He came from an extreme place and a very extreme city. The background in Iran is very important; when you grow up in an extreme environment, that's how you continue your path," Sabti explained.

"In recent years, in his role as head of operations, he contributed to Hezbollah's anti-Israeli activities because he dealt with the approvals. He essentially had a hand in everything that happened in the Revolutionary Guards," Sabti added.

He assessed that it would be difficult for the Iranian regime and the IRGC to replace Nilforoushan, who played a central role in the multi-front war against Israel.

"The significance of the assassination is a very hard blow for both the Revolutionary Guards and the entire Iranian axis, with its proxies. The seniority, experience, opening doors, resourcefulness, and quick approvals from high ranks. All of this will be missed by them. It's always said in the media, 'eliminate one and another will come' – it's not like that at all. It will take a lot of time until they find someone to fill his shoes." Sabti stated.

"I think for the first time, we've hit all of the Revolutionary Guards. It's something no one has said."

In response to the last strike killing a high-ranking commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, Brig.-Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, in an airstrike on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria in April, Iran launched its first direct missile and drone assault on Israel.

The Iranian-backed terrorist organization in Lebanon, Hezbollah, launched an unprovoked attack on Israel on Oct. 8 of last year, one day after Hamas invaded Israel and massacred 1,200 men, women and children in southern Israel's Gaza border communities.

Hezbollah forces have since then fired some 10,000 rockets, missiles and drones at Israel.

Israel Defense Forces has responded by eliminating most of Hezbollah’s top leadership, including its chief Nasrallah, as well as killing and detaining hundreds of Hezbollah terrorists and destroying much of the terror group's launch capabilities.

However, Hezbollah has continued its campaign against Israel. On Sunday, four Israeli soldiers were killed, and dozens wounded, when the terror group launched a drone attack on an IDF base near Binyamina in northern Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who visited the impacted IDF site, vowed that Israel would continue striking Hezbollah and other Iranian terror proxy groups in the region that continues to threaten Israel’s existence.

“We will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon – also in Beirut,” Netanyahu said.

“We are fighting a tough campaign against Iran’s Axis of Evil that wants to totally destroy us, the premier emphasized. “They won’t make it. We keep fighting. We pay painful prices, but we have tremendous achievements – and we will continue to achieve them,” the prime minister added.