Iranian officials report Quds Force chief missing after trip to Beirut
Photo: Israeli military shelling Lebanon (Getty Images)
The commander of Iran's Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, has gone missing following his trip to Beirut, which has been targeted by Israeli strikes, according to The Times of Israel.
After Israel eliminated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in strikes in Beirut, Qaani traveled to the same city in Lebanon in September. However, he has not made contact since last week's strikes, according to two senior Iranian security officials who spoke to Reuters.
One official said Qaani was in the southern suburbs of Beirut, known as Dahiyeh, during Thursday's bombardment. The attack reportedly targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, but the official claims Qaani did not meet with Safieddine.
The official added that since the attack, both Iran and Hezbollah have been unable to reach Qaani.
A second official confirmed that Qaani had traveled to Lebanon following Nasrallah's killing and that Iranian authorities have lost contact with him after the strike on Safieddine, who many had anticipated would be Hezbollah’s next leader.
Hezbollah has yet to comment on Safieddine’s status.
The Times of Israel noted that the Israeli strikes on Dahiyeh, Hezbollah’s stronghold, killed numerous senior leaders of the group, along with several Iranian officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
