One of the major unanswered questions since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Iran is the fate of Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, who has largely disappeared from public view amid persistent online rumors that he may have acted as an Israeli spy.
Speculation surrounding the senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general intensified after he reportedly survived the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the war, along with several of the leader’s top aides.
The British newspaper The Telegraph added to the speculation, reporting that some theories circulating in the Middle East suggest Qaani may have been placed under house arrest or even executed over suspicions that he was aiding Israel.
Qaani, 68, has spent the past six years overseeing Iran’s external military and intelligence operations through the Quds Force, primarily by training and arming militant Islamist groups across the region. He replaced Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in Iraq in 2020.
Within Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Qaani has often been viewed as less charismatic and less transformative than Soleimani.
According to The Telegraph, Qaani in recent years has developed a reputation for repeatedly emerging unharmed from attacks that killed others around him.
He was initially believed to have been killed during the 12-day war in June, but later appeared alive at a public event wearing civilian clothing and a baseball cap. A similar sequence of reports occurred in 2024.
Some reports have also pointed to an alleged Israeli list of assassination targets that did not include Qaani’s name.
A Persian-language account on X that British officials believe is operated by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency denied last year that Qaani was working on Israel’s behalf.
At the same time, reports circulated that Qaani had been questioned by the Revolutionary Guards’ internal security apparatus.
An Israeli source with an intelligence background told The Telegraph that the truth about Qaani’s situation remains unclear.
“No one knows the truth,” the source said. “He may simply be exactly who he claims to be — a loyal general of the Iranian regime — and all the rumors and talk surrounding him may be part of an operation intended to undermine him and his actions against Israel.”
The speculation comes amid what media reports describe as a significant Israeli intelligence penetration of Iran’s security establishment.
According to The Telegraph, there are indications that Israel may have hacked Tehran’s traffic camera system during the operation that targeted Khamenei.