Who is Esmail Qaani? Iran's Quds Force commander missing since Israel's strike on Beirut

As tensions in West Asia escalate, the whereabouts of Esmail Qaani , Commander of Iran 's Quds Force , have become the subject of widespread speculation. Qaani has not been heard from since Israeli airstrikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs last week, reported Reuters citing Iranian sources.

These strikes, which hit a Hezbollah stronghold, also targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine . Qaani’s absence has stirred concern, particularly given the strategic role he plays in Iran's military operations across the region.

Qaani's disappearance follows the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a previous Israeli airstrike on September 27. Qaani had travelled to Lebanon to meet Hezbollah officials after Nasrallah's death. His silence since the most recent strikes has led to rumours in media outlets, including Turkish and Israeli sources, suggesting he may have been killed. Iranian authorities , however, have not confirmed his death.

If confirmed, Qaani’s death would severely undermine Iran's ability to coordinate its proxy forces across the region. The Quds Force plays a crucial role in managing Iran’s relationships with Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shi’ite militias in Iraq. Losing its commander, especially in the wake of recent Israeli military operations, could leave a significant void in Tehran’s regional strategy.

In recent weeks, Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, further destabilising an already volatile region. The death of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah in late September marked a significant blow to the group, and the potential loss of Qaani would represent a further setback for Iran's regional influence.

Who is Esmail Qaani?

• Esmail Qaani was born in 1957 in Mashhad, Iran. He rose through the ranks of Iran’s military elite during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

• He has spent decades as a key figure within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), eventually becoming deputy commander of the Quds Force in 1997. The Quds Force, the overseas arm of the IRGC, handles Iran’s foreign military operations and support for allied paramilitary groups across the Middle East .

• Qaani’s leadership became prominent after the assassination of his predecessor, General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Soleimani was a charismatic leader, deeply respected by Iran’s allies, including Hezbollah, Iraqi Shi’ite militias, and the Houthis in Yemen.
  
• Qaani took over as head of the Quds Force, but unlike Soleimani, his influence has been more subdued.

• 67-year-old Qaani has maintained a lower profile compared to Soleimani. While Soleimani was often photographed on the front lines in Iraq and Syria, Qaani has preferred to conduct his meetings behind closed doors.

• His leadership has also been characterised by less direct engagement with Iran’s Arab allies, a result of his limited Arabic language skills. Analysts have noted that this language barrier, along with his more discreet approach, has made it challenging for Qaani to build the same level of rapport with militias in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

• Despite this, Qaani vowed to continue Soleimani’s mission of expelling U.S. forces from the Middle East. In a public statement after Soleimani's death, Qaani declared that "the only compensation for us would be to remove America from the region."

• Qaani’s last known location was in Beirut's southern suburbs, which is known as the Dahiyeh, a stronghold of Hezbollah. He was there during the Israeli airstrike that targeted Hashem Safieddine, who is seen as a likely successor to Nasrallah.

• Since then, both Qaani and Safieddine have been unreachable, leading to growing concerns about their fate. Israeli officials have not confirmed any specific casualties from the strikes but have said that the results are still being assessed.