Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards, was killed during an Israeli strike in Iran, The New York Times reported on Friday evening, citing an Iranian source.

Qaani succeeded Qasem Soleimani as commander after the latter was killed in a targeted operation by the United States in 2020.

What was Qaani's mission in the Middle East?

From an intelligence perspective, Qaani's mission appears to have had several dimensions, none of which have escaped the vigilance of Mossad, the CIA, or allied intelligence agencies in the region.

Qaani also wanted to revive and consolidate control of Iraq's Shia terrorist groups. These militias, whether Arab, Sunni, or Kurdish (including the Barzanis and PKK), maintain close ties with the IRGC. Qaani aimed to exert more direct influence over groups like Hashd al-Shaabi, preventing the collapse of Iran's proxy network in Iraq. Figures like Ali Sistani, who shared Khamenei's vision of a Shia crescent, are unlikely to oppose these efforts.

This is a developing story.