After the pager and walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon and the death of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, Iran is taking bold steps. As a precautionary measure, Iran is now keeping an eye on its own top commanders. In recent times, Iran's Quds Force chief Ismail Kani is in the news. It is being claimed that Kani's spy is Israel. Now the news of his disappearance has become a topic of discussion. Kani was not seen in public for the last few weeks. He was spotted in Lebanon two days after a major Israeli airstrike last month. Many top commanders, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, were killed in this attack.
It was initially said that Qani had been killed in the attack but now many Arab and regional media are claiming that he is alive. Kani is now being interrogated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on charges of having ties to Israeli intelligence agents. According to the Al-Arabiya news site, Kani has been placed under house arrest. Another report said he was safe but was being investigated by Iranian authorities. Recently, Sky News Arabic reported that Kani suffered a heart attack during interrogation and was taken to hospital. Apart from this, his chief assistant Ehsan Shafiqui is also under the ambit of this investigation.
Multiple reports also said that Qani came under suspicion by the Iranian government after an Israeli airstrike targeted Nasrallah successor Hashim Shafieddin. Kani was said to be involved in this matter. However, an adviser to IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hussein Salami has rejected these speculations. The adviser said Kani is completely fine and will soon be given a military honor from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Who is Ismail Kani?
1. Ismail Kani was appointed chief of the Quds Force in 2020 after the killing of Qasim Sulemani in a US strike.
2. In contrast to the widespread respect and influence Suleimani received, Qani was not that influential. He could not develop as close relations with Iran's regional allies.
3. Iranian proxy groups such as Hezbollah and Iraqi militias led by Qani are facing pressure from Israeli forces. At the time of Soleimani, it was exactly the opposite.
4. Kani was born in Mashhad, Iran. He took part in the Iran–Iraq War and became the deputy commander of the Quds Force in 1997. He has experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan but he is not as fluent in Arabic as Soleimani.
5. Unlike Soleimani, Qani holds meetings in secret and works behind the scenes in most cases.
