A top Iranian military commander is believed to have been killed in an Israeli strike that targeted Hezbollah's new leader. Esmail Qaani, the leader of the Quds Force—the elite branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—was with Hashem Safieddine, the new leader of Hezbollah, when the Israelis targeted him in his headquarters bunker in Beirut.
The massive airstrike took place on Thursday night during intense bombardment in southern Beirut, as Safieddine held a secret meeting with other Hezbollah leaders in their underground intelligence headquarters. He had only recently succeeded Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by the Israelis last month in a similar airstrike by Israel air force.
Killing One by One
On Friday night, both Arabic and English media outlets in the Middle East reported that Safieddine is highly likely to be dead.
Lebanese sources told Sky News Arabia that all communication with him has been lost. While the Israeli military has not officially confirmed his death, it has now been revealed that Qaani may have also been present at the meeting.
Some Israeli reports suggest that Qaani was injured, while others indicate that he may have died.
If confirmed, this would be a stunning coup for the Israelis, who vowed to retaliate following Iran's missile strike last week. Experts believe that Qaani's death would considerably weaken Iran's military capability but would also escalate tensions in the ongoing conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking after the Jewish New Year, did not mention Qaani's death. He said that Israel is engaged in a war on "seven fronts," but did not provide any details about when an attack on Iran might occur.
He criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for advocating a boycott of arms sales to Israel in an effort to force it to the negotiating table.
Netanyahu said: "Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other proxies?
"Of course not. What a disgrace! Israel will win with or without their support."
Strategic Attack by Israel
The assault on Safieddine and Qaani took place in Dahieh, a suburb of southern Beirut known as a Hezbollah stronghold. The area has been heavily targeted by the Israeli Air Force since the onset of its offensive against Hezbollah.
Lebanese sources said that it was difficult to establsih whether Qaani or Safieddine is alive or dead has proven challenging due to the danger posed by drone strikes, making it impossible to approach the bombed site of the bunker.
Several buildings were leveled in the attack, with sources saying that the destruction exceeded that of the strike which killed Nasrallah.
Qaani, 67, took over leadership of the Quds Force after Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020. As Ayatollah Khamenei's close aide, Qaani would have played a pivotal role in orchestrating missile attacks on Israel last week and in April.
He also served as the Tehran regime's primary link to Hezbollah and other proxy groups like the Houthis in Yemen and Iraqi militias.
If Qaani is indeed dead, it would mark a major setback for Iran just ahead of a planned Israeli retaliation for the missile barrage fired at Israel on October 1.
However, Iranian media has refuted reports of Qaani's death.
