Iran’s Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani, who travelled to Lebanon after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month, has not been heard from since.
Qaani’s disappearance has now led to claims that he may be an agent of Israeli spy agency Mossad, which is behind Israel’s recent successful operations.
According to one official, Qaani was in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Dahiyeh, during a strike that reportedly targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine. However, the official said Qaani was not meeting Safieddine at the time.
Sources, as reported by The Sun, claimed that Qaani is under house arrest and being interrogated on suspicion of being an Israeli spy.
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1. Esmail Qaani was appointed as the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force after Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by the US in 2020. His role involves managing Tehran’s paramilitary allies across the Middle East and globally.
2. While Soleimani commanded significant respect and maintained close ties with Iran’s regional allies, Qaani has not been able to match that level of influence or authority, as noted by military analysts and those familiar with both men.
3. Under Qaani’s leadership, Iranian proxies like Hezbollah and Iraqi militias have faced increased pressure, particularly from Israeli forces, contrasting with the expansion of their influence under Soleimani.
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4. Qaani, born in Mashhad, Iran, has a background in the Revolutionary Guards, fighting in the Iran-Iraq war. He became deputy commander of the Quds Force in 1997. He also has experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan but lacks fluency in Arabic, unlike Soleimani.
5. Unlike his predecessor, who was frequently seen on battlefields, Qaani prefers a more discreet approach, conducting private meetings and keeping a lower profile in his leadership of the Quds Force.
