Fact Check: "Qaani übernahm die Führung der Quds Force nach der gezielten Tötung von Qasem Soleimani durch die USA im Jahr 2020."
What We Know
The claim states that Esmail Qaani took over the leadership of the Quds Force following the targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani by the United States in 2020. Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force, was killed on January 3, 2020, by a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. This operation was ordered by then-U.S. President Donald Trump. Soleimani was a major general in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was considered a key figure in Iran's military operations abroad.
Following Soleimani's death, Esmail Qaani was appointed as the new commander of the Quds Force. This appointment was made by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, on the same day as Soleimani's assassination. Qaani had previously served as Soleimani's deputy and had a long-standing military career within the IRGC.
Analysis
The evidence supporting the claim is robust and comes from multiple credible sources. The Wikipedia entry on Esmail Qaani confirms that Qaani was appointed as the commander of the Quds Force immediately following Soleimani's assassination. This is corroborated by another Wikipedia article that details the transition of leadership within the Quds Force. Furthermore, The Jerusalem Post and Spiegel both report that Qaani succeeded Soleimani after the latter's death in early 2020.
The sources cited are generally reliable, with Wikipedia articles often serving as a starting point for factual information, although they should be cross-referenced with other reports due to their open-edit nature. The Jerusalem Post and Spiegel are reputable news outlets with a history of reporting on Middle Eastern affairs, lending further credibility to the information provided.
Conclusion
The claim that Esmail Qaani took over the leadership of the Quds Force after the targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani by the United States in 2020 is True. Multiple reliable sources confirm that Qaani was appointed as the commander of the Quds Force immediately following Soleimani's assassination, aligning with the timeline and details provided in the claim.
