- Speculation surrounds the fate of Iran’s Quds Force commander, Esmail Ghaani.
- Unconfirmed reports suggest he may have been killed in Beirut during an Israeli airstrike.
- Iranian officials have denied these claims, stating Ghaani is alive.
- Ghaani’s predecessor, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.
Speculation is mounting over the status of Esmail Ghaani, the top commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, amid unconfirmed reports that he may have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last Friday. Some sources claim Ghaani was fatally injured during the strike that allegedly also killed Hashem Safieddine, a senior figure in Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.
However, on Monday, during a Palestine-themed conference in Tehran, the event’s host conveyed greetings from Ghaani, suggesting that he may still be alive. Earlier the same day, the Deputy Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force refuted reports of Ghaani’s death.
Ghaani succeeded Qasem Soleimani as head of the Quds Force after Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020, a strike ordered by former U.S. President Donald Trump.