In the early morning hours of June 21, Behnam Shahriari, commander of Unit 190of the Quds Force, was eliminated. This unit is responsible for smuggling weapons, funds, and personnel across the globe. Shahriari was eliminated in a targeted airstrike on his vehicle while he was driving in western Iran. Shahriari was also known by other aliases, including Hamid Reza and Seyed Ali Akbar. In recent years, Unit 190 has been active in transferring weapons and funds to Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, to Hezbollah in Lebanon, to the Houthis in Yemen, to Palestinian terrorist organizations in Gaza and the West Bank, to the Polisario Front in Western Sahara, to groups and militias in Sudan and the Horn of Africa, to various forces in Asia, Venezuela in Central America, and more. The unit employs various methods designed to disguise both the smuggled weapons and their connection to Iran. These include, among others, the use of front companies (such as Liner Transport Kishand Behnam Shahriyari Trading Company), civilian infrastructure and companies, third-party intermediaries, falsified records, and other tactics. The smuggling routes vary and are conducted by air, sea, and land. As part of its operations, Unit 190 works closely with Department 8000 of the Quds Force (which handles weapons manufacturing and supply to proxies), as well as with Hezbollah’s Unit 4400,responsible for smuggling. Previous reports have revealed that the unit frequently uses civilian merchant ships and commercial flights operated by Iranian airlines. In some cases, weapons are smuggled inside shipments of goods and products, or under the guise of medical supplies or humanitarian aid.
