Iranian brigadier general Esmail Qaani alive but currently under interrogation over ties with Israel

* It was previously claimed that Qhaani had been in Beirut two days before the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in late September

* According to reports last week, Ghaani had not been in contact with the Iranian regime for several days following the attack in Dahiya

* That targeted senior Hezbollah official Hisham Safi al-Din, who had been designated to succeed Nasrallah

Shachar Kleiman, israel.Hayom.com

Iranian brigadier general Esmail Qaani, who is commander of the Quds Force, is alive but still under investigation on suspicion of maintaining intelligence ties with Israel, leading to his interrogation from yesterday in Tehran.

Reports indicate that during questioning, Qaani, whose chief of staff is also suspected of establishing ties with Israel, experienced stress that ultimately resulted in a heart attack.

The Arabic branch of Sky News reported on Thursday that Qhaani, is suspected of having communicated with Israel and according to the reports, he was interrogated regarding an intelligence breach and suffered a heart attack during the investigation, after which he was taken to a hospital.

Sky News also reported that Ghaani’s chief of staff is under suspicion of communicating with Israel. There is no confirmation of the report from any other source.

Qhaani and Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran

In recent days, it was reported that Qhaani was supposed to receive an honorary award from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, following statements from Revolutionary Guards spokesperson asserting that he was in good health.

It was previously claimed that Qhaani had been in Beirut two days before the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah in late September. According to reports last week, Ghaani had not been in contact with the Iranian regime for several days following the attack in Dahiya that targeted senior Hezbollah official Hisham Safi al-Din, who had been designated to succeed Nasrallah.

The Jerusalem Post quoted a source at the Middle East Eye as saying: “The Iranians have serious suspicions that the Israelis have infiltrated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, especially those working in the Lebanese arena, so everyone is currently under investigation.”

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However, the report also cited a source linked to Hezbollah, who alleged unequivocally that the breach was “100% Iranian.”

The sources cited by the outlet noted that Qaani and other IRGC commanders arrived in Beirut two days following Nasrallah’s killing for an on-site assessment of the situation.

Following Safieddine’s elimination, however, communications with Qaani were lost, the sources also reportedly noted. 

Qaani succeeded Qasem Soleimani after the latter was assassinated by the United States in 2020.

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