Iran’s Quds Force Commander Gen Esmail Qaani is reportedly under arrest, he’s being investigated for possible involvement in the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut along with several other Iranian commanders.
The Times of Israel reports that Qaani has not been seen in public since he went to Beirut two days after Nasrallah’s killing.
The Arabic-language news site Al-Arabiya, which is owned by the Saudi government, claimed Qaani was “subject to surveillance and isolation”.
“The breach was 100% Iranian and there is no question about his part,” a source close to Hezbollah told the UK-based Middle East Eye which is believed to be funded by Qatar. it claimed Qaani was being questioned by people under the direct supervision of Supreme Leader Ali Khameinei.
Sky News Arabic also reported that Qaani had a heart attack during the course of his interrogation and was rushed to a hospital in Tehran. His deputy Ehsan Shafiqi is also reportedly under scrutiny.
Qaani, other reports said, came under suspicion since he was supposed to be at the same meeting that Nasrallah was attending, but failed to turn up.
The Iranians of course deny this is the case. An adviser to the Revolutionary Commander in Chief Hossain Salami, rejected these reports saying that Qaani “was in perfect health” and would be honoured by Khameinei in a few days.
Even as the speculation about Qaani grew, the other question remains when will Israel strike Iran? Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has promised a strike “lethal, precise and especially surprising. Iran won’t understand what happened to it and how,” he said
President Biden has urged Tel Aviv not to target Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities since that would invite retaliation from Tehran. Although there was a conversation over the phone between Biden and Israeli PM Netanyahu, it’s not clear if the latter’s plan for a strike has been dropped.
