Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, was spotted alive in Tehran, dispelling rumors that he was eliminated by Israel during the war.

The New York Times reported at the beginning of the war that Qaani had been assassinated in Israel’s opening strikes targeting key military and nuclear sites along with targeted eliminations of Iran’s leading political figures and top nuclear scientists.

However, the IDF did not name Qaani as a target and said that they have no information about reports of his elimination.

As it turns out, Qaani, who succeeded Qassem Soleimani after the latter’s elimination in a US drone strike in 2020, was apparently in hiding. He emerged from his hideout following the ceasefire to take part in “victory” celebrations in Tehran.

This isn’t the first time that the elusive commander was rumored to be dead, only to later appear at a public function. Speculatory reports in October 2024 said that Qaani was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, where he had traveled to support Hezbollah amid its war with Israel. Other reports speculated he may have suffered a heart attack or was being detained by Iranian authorities on suspicion of espionage.

However, footage later emerged showing Qaani in attendance at a funeral service in Karbala, Iraq, for senior Revolutionary Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike a month earlier.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)