Iran's Quds Force chief Qaani warns US, Israel against escalation in Gaza, Lebanon
The mysterious leader of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force has issued a new warning to the US and Israel. According to Iran’s IRNA state media, Brigadier-General Esmaeil Qaani “has warned the United States and Israel against further military escalation in Gaza and Lebanon, saying that new fronts could open and maritime traffic in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could mirror the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Qaani is almost a spectral figure. Appointed in 2020 after the US killed his predecessor, Qasem Soleimani, Qaani has largely remained in the background. Reportedly an expert on Afghanistan, he appeared to struggle when taking over from Soleimani. Soleimani was a key figure in building Iran’s proxy networks in the region.
He had worked with late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon and helped bring the Russians in to back the Assad regime in Syria. He also forged connections to the Houthis in Yemen and helped mobilize militias in Iraq.
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