Iran military chief ‘killed’ by Israeli air strike in Lebanon that targeted new leader of Hezbollah

One of Iran’s top military commanders is believed to have been killed in an Israeli attack on the new leader of terror group Hezbollah.

Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force – the elite wing of the feared Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – is believed to be with Hezbollah’s new leader, Hashem Safieddine, who was targeted by the Israelis in his headquarters bunker in Beirut.

The airstrike on Thursday evening during heavy bombardment of southern Beirut took place as Safieddine held a secret meeting with other Hezbollah leaders at the underground intelligence headquarters.

He had only just taken over from Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by the Israelis last month.

Last night, Arabic and English-language media in the Middle East reported that it is very likely that Safieddine has died.

Arabic and English-language media in the Middle East reported that it is very likely that Safieddine (photo) has died

The airstrike on Thursday evening during heavy bombardment of southern Beirut took place as Safieddine held a secret meeting with other Hezbollah leaders. (Flames rise from Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon)

A huge explosion erupted in the southern suburbs of Beirut, just north of the airport, during an Israeli attack on Hezbollah’s heir apparent.

A photographer takes cover as smoke rises in the background after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, October 4, 2024

Lebanese sources told Sky News Arabia that all contact with him has been lost. The Israeli army has not officially confirmed his death. But it has now emerged that Qaani may also have been at the meeting. Some Israeli media reported that Qaani was injured, while others claimed he may have died.

That would mark a stunning coup for Israelis, who vowed to hit back after Iran’s missile attack last week. Experts say Qaani’s death would seriously weaken Iran’s military capacity but also further inflame tensions in the spiraling conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not address Qaani’s death in his comments after the Jewish New Year. He said Israel was waging a war on “seven fronts” but gave no indication when he would attack Iran.

He criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, who wants to boycott arms sales to Israel to bring them to the negotiating table.

Mr Netanyahu said: ‘Is Iran imposing an arms embargo on Hezbollah, on the Houthis, on Hamas and on its other allies?

‘Of course not. What a shame! Israel will win with or without their support.”

The attack on Safieddine and Qaani took place in Dahieh, a suburb in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. It has been extensively bombed by the Israeli Air Force since it began its attack on Hezbollah.

Lebanese sources said it was difficult to determine whether Qaani or Safieddine were alive or dead because it was impossible to get near the bombed bunker site due to drone strikes.

Israeli soldiers are seen entering rural areas of southern Lebanon ahead of an attack on Hezbollah positions

The attack on Safieddine and Qaani took place in Dahieh, a suburb in southern Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. (An Israeli tank is seen entering southern Lebanon)

Several buildings were destroyed in the attack, with the scale of destruction greater than the attack that killed Nasrallah, sources said.

Qaani, 67, succeeded Qassem Soleimani as leader of the Quds Force after his predecessor was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020.

As Ayatollah Khameini’s right-hand man, Qaani is said to have been one of the key figures behind the rocket attacks on Israel last week and in April.

He would also be the Tehran regime’s main contact with Hezbollah, as well as other terrorist groups that are Iran’s proxies, such as the Houthis in Yemen and Iraqi militias.

If Qaani is dead, it would be a huge blow to Iran just ahead of a planned Israeli strike in response to the barrage of rockets fired into Israel on October 1.

However, Iranian media denied that Qaani was dead.

Macron said yesterday that arms deliveries to Israel should be halted as part of a broader effort to find a political solution to the crisis.

“I think the priority is to get back to a political solution (and) to stop the weapons used to fight in Gaza. France is not sending anything,” Macron told France Inter Radio. Last month, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Britain was suspending 30 of Israel’s 350 arms export licenses.

Conflict warning from Prime Minister

Keir Starmer (pictured) warned that further escalation could ‘light the paper in our own communities here at home’

All sides in the Middle East conflict must ‘step back from the brink’, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

Ahead of the first anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack, the Prime Minister warned that further escalation could “light the burden on our own communities here at home.”

And he urged all countries to “act with restraint and return to political… solutions.” He wrote in The Sunday Times that a direct conflict between Iran and Israel would have “devastating consequences.”

He added: “All parties must do everything in their power to step back from the abyss and prevent it. Because the anniversary of the October 7 attacks should remind us of the costs of political failure.”