Israel did not target Iran Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani in Beirut – army sources

Iran’s IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani was not the target of an Israeli strike in Beirut, according to military sources, as reports in recent days have suggested that he has been missing since last week.

Two Iranian security officials told Reuters yesterday that Qaani, who traveled to Lebanon after the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, has not been heard from since strikes on Beirut’s southern suburb on Thursday.

On Thursday, the IDF carried out an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, targeting Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine. It remains unclear if Safieddine was killed in the strike.

Military sources say that if Qaani was actually with Safieddine during the strike, the IDF was not aware of this and that he was not the intended target.