Iran’s Quds Force head Qaani appears in Tehran after death rumors
The appearance is the first proof of life offered by Iran since Ismail Qaani reportedly went missing in Lebanon following an Israeli strike targeting a top Hezbollah official.
Iranian Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Ismail Qaani was seen in Tehran on Tuesday, ending speculation on his whereabouts following an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs when Qaani was in the area.
What we know: Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was seen on state television at the funeral of the corps’ Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan. Qaani arrived in the capital city via the Mehrabad airport, according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency. Tasnim described Qaani as appearing in “full health.”
Qaani was seen sobbing at the funeral, per the footage.
Iran’s state television aired on Tuesday morning footage showing Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards during a ceremony that was held for the arrival of the body of Abbas Nilforoushan, the IRGC’s regional commander who was killed in Lebanon.… pic.twitter.com/qOtMbP0ssX
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) October 15, 2024
Nilforoushan was killed in Beirut in late September by the same Israeli strike that took out Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Qaani assumed command of the Quds Force — a branch of the IRGC that specializes in unconventional warfare and oversees relations with Iran's network of regional proxies — in 2020 after his predecessor, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a US strike in Baghdad. He is a longtime member of the IRGC who fought in the Iran-Iraq War and has a longstanding relationship with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Why it matters: Qaani’s status came into question following the Israeli strike that targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine in Beirut’s southern suburbs late on Oct. 2. Reuters reported last week that Qaani had not been heard from since the strike. Qaani was in the area at the time, but not meeting with Safieddine, according to the outlet.
On Oct. 7, deputy Quds Force commander Gen. Iraj Masjedi said that Qaani was “safe and sound." Two days later, IRGC adviser Gen. Ebrahim Jabbari reiterated that Qaani was OK and said he would receive the Medal of Conquest honor from Khamenei, according to Tasnim. Iran did not offer any proof of life at the time.
There was considerable speculation about Qaani’s status in regional media before he appeared at the funeral on Tuesday. The London-based Middle East Eye reported last week that Qaani was under guard and being questioned in relation to Iranian security breaches.
The reports followed a series of Israeli attacks on high-ranking Hezbollah operatives in recent weeks, causing chaos within the organization. In addition to the strikes targeting Nasrallah and Safieddine, senior members Ibrahim Akil and Ali Karaki were killed in late September. Safieddine's current whereabouts are unknown, with Hezbollah not commenting on his status and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying last week that he was "probably" killed. The Mossad also likely carried out attacks on Hezbollah communication devices last month that are believed to have injured thousands of Hezbollah members.
Know more: Several high-ranking IRGC members have been killed by Israel since the start of the Gaza war. Senior Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy, Gen. Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi, were killed in the suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April. Brig. Gen. Sayyed Razi Mousavi, one of the IRGC’s leaders in Syria, was killed in a suspected Israeli strike near Damascus last December.
