Is Iran’s Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani missing after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut?
As per several reports, Esmail Qaani may be dead or wounded. He was absent from Friday prayers led by Iran's Supreme Leader. Notably, he succeeded Qassem Soleimani as Iran’s leader for foreign operations.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani has reportedly gone missing following Israeli airstrikes in Beirut on Friday. Some Turkish and Israeli news outlets have speculated that Qaani may need been killed contained within the strikes. Alternatively, Iranian media has remained silent on the commander’s status, whether missing or dead. Reports suggest that the airstrikes in Beirut’s Dahiyeh targeted Hashem Safieddine, the successor to slain Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Safieddine has also been reported unreachable following the strikes.
The Iranian brigadier-general turned into present in Dahiyeh at some stage within the airstrikes and can have been injured, Israeli N12 news reported. Every other Israeli news outlet Channel 12 claimed Qaani’s death citing Lebanese authorities.
Alternatively, there won't ever be a official statement has been issued by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) over the killing of the Iranian commander.
Some reports suggest Qaani may need been below strict observation a result of increased possibility of Israeli repercussions in accordance with Iran’s missile assaults on October 1st.
Some Saudi media outlets even speculated that Iran will have done away with Qaani, accusing him of collaborating with the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.
His absence turned into distinctly noted at some stage within the Friday prayers led by Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader Ali Khamenei. The New York Times featured a piece of writing that labelled Qaani’s trip to Beirut as a consultation with Hezbollah officials contained within the wake of Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
Esmail Qaani
In January 2020, following the death of Qassem Soleimani in a US drone strike near Baghdad’s International Airport, Esmail Qaani stepped into Soleimani’s shoes because the leader of Iran’s foreign operations. His assassination ended in Qaani playing a central role in shaping Iran’s defense force strategy. Ahead of taking command of the Quds Force, Qaani had experience managing counterintelligence and managing drug operations in Afghanistan and Iran.
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