Iranian television appears to have shown “missing” IRGC chief Esmail Qaani at the memorial ceremony for a high-profile Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander killed in Lebanon.
Rumors have circulated in recent days about Qaani’s fate as he has disappeared from public view. Some sources claimed that he may have been killed in an Israeli attack in Lebanon against Hashem Safieddine, a senior member of Hezbollah. Other versions spoke of a possible heart attack or his interrogation in Iran as a suspected spy.
Sky News reported in Arabic that Qaani was rushed to hospital after his health deteriorated.
No details were revealed about the severity of his condition.
And according to a new report from Middle East Eye (MEE), Ismail Qaani’s net worth has been the subject of controversy.
Contrary to official statements by Iranian authorities that Qaani should receive a medal for his services, MEE reports that he is now under investigation in Iran for allegedly spying for Israel.
Citing eight different sources, MEE claimed that Qaani was being interrogated by Revolutionary Guard forces, especially after a series of Israeli attacks, including the assassination of senior officials in Beirut. Iranian authorities suspected that Israel could infiltrate the ranks of the Revolutionary Guard, especially those working in Lebanon.
However, video captured Qaani at the funeral of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Abbas Nilforoushan in the Iraqi city of Karbala. Nilforoushan was killed in an Israeli airstrike along with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27.
Video on Iranian television of IRGC Quds Force commander Ismail Qaani at the memorial to the late Abbas Niloforoshan killed by an Israeli strike in Lebanon.
This comes amid recent rumors and ostensible reports that he had been murdered, arrested or suffered a heart attack. pic.twitter.com/qiL5EbfyUy
– Murtaza Hussain (@MazMHussain) October 15, 2024
Recall that Cursor wrote that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the US administration that he was willing to attack Iran’s military infrastructure, and not oil or nuclear facilities. This decision was made to prevent an escalation of the conflict and avoid a full-scale war.
