Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, has been reportedly missing after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut on Friday. While the Iranian media has been silent on his whereabouts, some Turkish and Israeli news outlets have claimed that Qaani could be dead.
According to reports, the Israeli airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburb Dahiyeh were targeted at Hashem Safieddine, the successor to slain Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Safieddine has also been reportedly unreachable after the strikes.
According to the Israeli N12 news, the Iranian brigadier-general was present in Dahiyeh at the time and could have been wounded in the Israeli strike. Another Israeli news outlet Channel 12 claimed that Lebanese authorities confirmed Qaani’s death, though the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have not claimed the killing of the Iranian commander.
Some reports also speculated that Qaani could have been put under increased surveillance due to fear of Israeli operations after Iran's missile strikes on October 1. Some Saudi news channels even suggested that Qaani might have been executed by Iran on suspicion of collaborating with the Mossad, Israel's spy agency.
Qaani's absence was noted during the Friday prayers led by Iran's Supreme Ali Khamenei. According to a report in the New York Times, Qaani had travelled to Beirut to meet Hezbollah officials amid the Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
WHO IS ESMAIL QAANI?
Esmail Qaani succeeded Qassem Soleimani as Iran’s leader for foreign operations. Soleimani was killed in January 2020 in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.
After Soleimani's assassination, Qaani played a pivotal role in shaping Iran’s military strategy in the region. Before assuming charge of the Quds Force, Qaani held positions in the counterintelligence unit and managed drug operations in Afghanistan and Iran.
