Putting an end to weeks of speculation about his fate, Esmail Ghaani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, made a public appearance at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport early Tuesday. His presence dispels rumors of his death or injury that had circulated following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs in late September.
In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Esmail Ghaani, commander of Iran's Quds Force, was spotted at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. He was there to receive the body of Abbas Nilforoushan, a high-ranking official of the organization in Lebanon, who was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
An Israeli strike targeted the southern Beirut neighborhood of Dahieh in late September, reportedly aimed at Hashem Safieddine, the designated successor to Hezbollah's secretary-general. Israeli intelligence suggests that Nasrallah's intended heir was eliminated in the operation.
In the days following the strike, unverified reports emerged suggesting Ghaani had been killed or wounded. Iranian sources later confirmed to Reuters that Ghaani had been in Beirut in the period leading up to the aerial bombardment of the underground bunker. Subsequently, Revolutionary Guards spokespersons asserted that he was unharmed.
More recently, reports from Sky News and the Middle East Eye website alleged that Ghaani was under investigation by the Revolutionary Guards. According to Sky News sources, Ghaani was being questioned about a suspected intelligence leak and had reportedly been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. Iranian officials once again refuted these claims.
A correspondent for the Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen, reporting from Iran, stated that Tehran had deliberately released live footage of Ghaani to counter what it called "completely false narratives" about him circulated by certain media outlets. The public appearance of Ghaani at Mehrabad Airport seems to be a calculated move by Iranian authorities to quash rumors and demonstrate the Quds Force commander's continued active role in the country's military leadership.
