The commander of the Quds Force, the elite unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Esmail Qaani, made a public appearance this morning at a ceremony held in Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. The ceremony marked the return of the body of his colleague, Abbas Nilforoushan, from Lebanon, according to IRNA news agency.
The event was attended by Qaani, colleagues of the deceased, and members of his family.
On October 6, Reuters reported, citing sources, that after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Qaani had lost contact. He was allegedly in Lebanon after September 27, following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. However, Iran had repeatedly denied rumors about Qaani's death.
On September 23, the Israeli army launched "Operation Northern Arrows" against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, conducting heavy airstrikes on the group's military targets. One of the strikes on September 27 in Beirut resulted in the deaths of Nasrallah and IRGC Deputy Commander General Nilforoushan, who was with him. Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah's death and vowed to continue resisting Israel. On the night of October 1, the Israeli army announced the start of a ground operation in southern Lebanon’s border regions.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Zuma\TASS
Based on TASS materials