Who is Esmail Qaani, the top Iranian commander who allegedly went missing?

Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, a foreign operations unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been missing since Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s capital Beirut, according to a Reuters report citing two senior Iranian security officials.

Qaani had travelled to Lebanon after the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the Iranian authorities had not been able to contact him since September 27, according to the report.

Though there is still no clarity on Qaani’s whereabouts or his fate, the force’s deputy commander Iraj Masjedi claimed that the top commander is in "good health" and actively carrying out his duties.

“Some ask us to issue a statement... there is no need for this,” Masjedi said in the Iranian state media.

The Quds Force is the overseas arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

It exerts significant influence over militias across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, with its forces having actively supported Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad in the country’s civil war and assisted Iraqi security forces in their fight against Daesh.

In addition to military engagements, the Quds Force manages Iran’s relationships with the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’, which includes proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Who is Esmail Qaani?

Esmail Qaani has long been central in shaping Tehran's military and paramilitary strategies abroad.

He was named by Tehran as the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps' overseas military-intelligence service, or Quds Force after the United States assassinated his predecessor Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.

Since then, Qaani has been managing Iran's expansive network of allied militias and proxies across the Middle East.

Born in city of Mashhad in 1957, Qaani's military career began during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s when he fought for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In 1997, he became the deputy commander of the Quds Force, gaining experience in overseeing operations beyond Iran's borders, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Unlike Soleimani, who was fluent in Arabic and known for his charismatic leadership, Qaani lacks the same rapport with Iranian allies in the Arab world and has generally preferred to keep a lower profile.

His tenure has marked a shift from the period of expansion under Soleimani to one of strategic challenges.

Under his leadership, the Quds Force has faced significant setbacks, especially as Iranian proxies such as Hezbollah and Iraqi militias have endured increased pressure from Israeli air strikes and intelligence operations.

Qaani's mission has been to continue Soleimani's legacy, notably his vow to expel US forces from the region in retaliation for his predecessor’s death.

Responding to reports of Esmail Qaani's possible death in the strike, Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said the aftermath of the strikes was still being evaluated.

He confirmed that Israel had targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut late last week.

“When we have more specific results from that strike, we will share it. There's a lot of questions about who was there and who was not,” Shoshani told reporters during a briefing.