In a recent development, Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force, has reportedly gone missing following airstrikes in Beirut, Lebanon. Two senior Iranian security officials have disclosed that contact with Qaani has been lost since late last week.
The Quds Force, a unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) specializing in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations, has been at the forefront of Iran's regional activities. Qaani assumed leadership of this elite force in January 2020, succeeding Qasem Soleimani.
The commander's disappearance is linked to a series of events that began on September 27, 2024, when Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah since 1992, was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike. Following this incident, Qaani traveled to Lebanon, presumably to address the leadership vacuum within Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite Islamist political party and militant group founded in 1985.
On October 3, 2024, Israeli forces conducted strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh, a predominantly Shiite area and stronghold of Hezbollah. These strikes reportedly targeted Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah official widely expected to succeed Nasrallah. One Iranian official stated that while Qaani was in the area during the strike, he was not meeting with Safieddine at the time.
The situation highlights the complex political landscape of Lebanon, which operates under a confessionalist system dividing power among various religious communities. This system has contributed to periods of instability, including a major civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Israel's ongoing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon is part of a broader regional conflict. The relationship between Iran and Hezbollah is significant, with the latter receiving substantial financial and military support from Tehran. Hezbollah's military wing is believed to possess an arsenal of over 100,000 rockets and missiles, demonstrating the scale of this support.
The IRGC, established in 1979 after the Iranian Revolution, has an estimated 125,000 military personnel and operates its own navy, aerospace force, and cyber command. The Quds Force, named after the Persian word for Jerusalem, has been involved in conflicts across the Middle East, including Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
It's worth noting that alongside Nasrallah, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan was also killed in the September 27 airstrike. This event, coupled with Qaani's disappearance, represents a significant blow to the Iran-backed network in the region.
As of October 6, 2024, neither Iran nor Hezbollah have commented on Safieddine's status or Qaani's whereabouts. The situation remains fluid, with potential implications for the balance of power in Lebanon and the broader Middle East.