Iran says IRGC Quds Force chief Qaani alive, offers few details
The commander was reportedly in Beirut at the time of an Israeli strike targeting a senior Hezbollah official.
Iran said on Monday that the commander of the Quds Force, Brig. Gen. Ismail Qaani, is safe, but offered few details and no proof of life after he was reported missing in Lebanon amid heavy Israeli strikes.
What happened: Gen. Iraj Masjedi, who is deputy commander of the Quds Force, a branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said at an event in Tehran that Qaani is “safe and sound.”
Masjedi “dismissed rumors about the conditions of his boss, saying [Qaani] is safe and sound,” the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency reported.
Tasnim posted footage on X showing a purported letter from Qaani being read, but has not offered further details on his status. The letter marked the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
A letter from Quds Force commander Qaani marking 7 October, plus comments from his deputy that he is in good health, are no doubt meant to allay concerns that he was killed (or injured) in Beirut.
— Gregory Brew (@gbrew24) October 7, 2024
Still no solid proof of life. The mystery continues. https://t.co/UatNdlz3Ew
Reuters reported on Sunday that Qaani had not been heard from since late last week. He was in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh during the strike that reportedly targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, but he was not meeting with him.
