|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Iranian authorities have reported that the individual responsible for overseeing the country’s international arms deals has gone silent following the recent attacks in Beirut.
The commander of the overseas military-intelligence division of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), who traveled to Lebanon in the aftermath of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s death in an Israeli airstrike, has not communicated with officials since the strikes on Beirut last week, according to Iranian sources.
Reuters reported that two senior Iranian security officials confirmed that Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani, has not been heard from since late last week.
One of the officials disclosed that Qaani was in the southern suburbs of Beirut during a missile strike that allegedly targeted senior Hezbollah figure Hashem Safieddine. Although Qaani was in the area, he was reportedly not in direct contact with the Hezbollah leader at the time of the strike.
A Hezbollah official stated that Israel has not allowed their forces to search for Safieddine following the bombing in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday. Hezbollah also noted that it will not disclose Safieddine’s status until the search is completed.
Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, when asked about speculation regarding Qaani’s possible death in the Israeli airstrike, stated that the results of the strikes are still under evaluation. The attack, he noted, targeted Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut.
Qaani’s Quds Force is responsible for managing Tehran’s relationships with allied militias across the Middle East, including Hezbollah.
Additionally, IRGC commander Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan was reportedly killed alongside Nasrallah on September 27 when Israeli bombs struck his bunker.
