One does wonder...

 

It seems that Israel's onslaught against Hezbollah in Lebanon may have claimed another high-level casualty.

The location of an Iranian general is under scrutiny amid reports he’s being investigated for his involvement in Israel’s dismantling of Lebanese terror outfit Hezbollah.

Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has not been seen in public since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a massive air strike on Beirut on Sept. 27.

Some Arab outlets say Qaani is alive and unhurt — but under guard — as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) investigates security breaches into how Israel was able to bring down the terrorist movement’s most senior leadership and identify where and when he could be found.

Others, including Sky News Arabic, reported Qaani is being probed over alleged ties to Israel. The outlet also reported the general had a heart attack while he was being questioned.

Suspicions escalated that senior Iranian commanders may have been compromised when the terrorist set to succeed Nasrallah — Hashem Safieddine — was most likely also killed in an Oct. 4 airstrike on his Beirut base in Lebanon. 

There's more at the link.

Israel has demonstrated such a vast superiority in its intelligence-gathering structures that its enemies are reduced to casting about for explanations and excuses.  It's the old story, seen so often in history:  "We must have been betrayed from within!  They couldn't have done it any other way!"  Well, of course they could:  but the easy excuse, so believable to those who are suffering, is always to blame some insider for betraying them.

I doubt very much that the head of the Quds Force is a traitor to Iran or Hezbollah, or an agent of Israel.  Quds has done immense harm to so many nations, and so many people, that I don't see how Israel could possibly allow one of its sources to continue to lead that organization so effectively.  They'd be damaging themselves if they did so.  However, I can see Israeli agents dropping "hints" and "suggestions" about treason, and then laying a trail of false but believable evidence pointing to someone like him.  That's much easier to do than get their own man into such a position of command - and we know for sure that Hezbollah at least must be riddled with their agents, as evidenced by the recent bloodbath among the leaders of that organization.

As for "the general had a heart attack while he was being questioned" . . . that strongly suggests the questioning was kinetic in nature, and not just verbal.  Perhaps drugs were employed as well as torture.  Suffice it to say that a fit, strong man like Qaani is very unlikely to have had an undiagnosed cardiac problem that's just (very conveniently) manifested itself under questioning.

Whatever the truth of the matter, I'm sure the confusion, disarray and mutual accusations among the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the Quds Force rivals, if not exceeds, that among Hezbollah right now.  What's more, I think any candidate to replace the deceased leaders of those organizations must be aware that their life expectancy, should they accept the position, will probably take a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse as soon as Israel hears about their promotion.  I can almost hear the conversation now:

"Abdul, you've been chosen to be the new Head of -"

"No!  No!  I - ah - I'm very sick!  I have an ingrown toenail!  It's agony!  My mother/wife/son/daughter needs me to be with her right now!  I don't have transport!  Find someone else!  Please!"

Peter