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 that targeted the new leader of terror group Hezbollah.

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

The air strike on Thursday night during heavy bombing of southern Beirut was mounted as Safieddine held a secret meeting with other Hezbollah leaders in 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 were reporting that Safieddine is highly likely to have died.

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

That would represent a stunning coup for the Israelis, who promised to hit back after Iran's missile attack last week. Experts say Qaani's death would severely weaken Iran's military capability, but it will also further inflame tensions in the spiralling conflict.

Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting after the Jewish New Year, did not address Qaani's death. He said Israel was fighting a war on 'seven fronts' but gave no indication of when he would attack Iran.

He criticised French president Emmanuel Macron who wants to boycott arms sale to Israel to bring it to the negotiating table.

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

'Of course not. What a disgrace! Israel will win with or without their support.'

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

Lebanese sources said it was difficult to establish if Qaani or Safieddine were alive or dead because it was impossible to go near the bombed site of the bunker because of drone strikes.

Several buildings were destroyed in the assault, with the scale of devastation surpassing the strike 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 would have been one of the key figures behind the missile strikes against Israel last week and in April.

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

If Qaani is dead, it would be huge blow for Iran just before a planned Israeli attack in response to the barrage of missiles fired at Israel on October 1.

However, Iranian media denied Qaani was dead.

Mr Macron said yesterday that shipments of arms to Israel should be stopped 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) that arms used to fight in Gaza are halted. France doesn't ship any,' Mr Macron told France Inter radio. Last month Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK was suspending 30 out of 350 arms export licences for Israel.