Top Iranian Special Forces Commander Missing After Devastating Israeli Airstrike

Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Special Forces, has been out of contact since Israel conducted an airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, last weekend. The incident has raised concerns, as no communication has been established with the senior commander since the attack, leaving his status and whereabouts unknown.

On October 6, two Iranian security officials confirmed to our correspondent that Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani was in Dahiyeh, a suburb of Beirut, when Israel launched an airstrike in the area. The officials reported that Qaani had traveled to Lebanon following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and since the Israeli attack, the Iranian government has been unable to establish contact with him.

Qaani was expected to meet with Hashem Safieddine, widely seen as Hezbollah’s next leader, but after the strike, communication with Qaani ceased. Both Iran and Hezbollah have been unable to reach him since the incident.Appointed by Tehran in 2020 to head the Quds Force, the foreign military intelligence wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Qaani succeeded Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.

The Quds Force plays a key role in managing Iran’s alliances with militia groups across the Middle East, including Hezbollah.

Israel has conducted multiple airstrikes in Dahiyeh, targeting Hezbollah as part of its ongoing campaign to dismantle the leadership of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group. One of Israel’s primary objectives is to eliminate Hezbollah’s senior figures.

Following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli forces are believed to be pursuing his likely successor, Hashem Safieddine.Safieddine has been out of contact since an October 3 Israeli airstrike targeted a basement in a southern Beirut suburb where senior Hezbollah officials were reportedly meeting. There is speculation that Safieddine may have been killed in the strike, though Hezbollah has neither confirmed nor denied his death.A Hezbollah official claimed Israel has hindered efforts to search for Safieddine, stating that Hezbollah will only announce his fate after the search is concluded.

Senior political official Mahmolud Qmati urged Israel to “allow the rescue teams to work,” and confirmed that Hezbollah is currently being led collectively until a new leader is chosen.Nasrallah was confirmed dead after an Israeli strike on an underground bunker hosting a Hezbollah leadership meeting. Iranian Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, also perished in the attack.On the Israeli side, military spokesperson Lt. Col.

Nadav Shoshani said the army was still evaluating the results of the airstrike. Shoshani confirmed that Israel had targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut last weekend but indicated more information would be released once assessments were complete, adding, “There are many questions about who was present at the time of the attack.”

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