Shafaq News/ Iranian Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani has been unaccounted for since Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut late last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters on Sunday.
Qaani had traveled to Lebanon after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month, the officials said.
He was reportedly in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Dahiyeh, during an Israeli strike targeting senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine. However, the officials clarified to Reuters that Qaani was not meeting Safieddine at the time.
“Iran and Hezbollah had not been able to contact Qaani since then,” they added.
Israel has been intensifying strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Dahiyeh as part of its broader campaign against the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said Israel hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut late last week, but the outcome of the strike remains under assessment.
Qaani, who leads the Quds Force, an overseas branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, plays a critical role in Iran’s relationships with its regional militias, including Hezbollah. The uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts has raised concerns within Iranian circles.
Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, another senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander, was killed alongside Nasrallah when an Israeli airstrike hit their bunker on Sept. 27.
Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine’s status.
shafaq.com
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