Commander of Elite Iranian Special Forces Worked for Israel? They Say He Left a Meeting with Khamenei Half an Hour Before the Strike

Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Esmail Qaani. Photo: AP Photo / Vahid Salemi

On Saturday, February 28, Israeli forces launched a powerful strike on the residence of Iran's supreme leader. As a result of this attack, not only Khamenei died, but also several high-ranking representatives of the military command and members of his family. According to some media reports, 68-year-old General Esmail Qaani was supposed to be near Khamenei at that moment. However, he miraculously survived. It is reported that Qaani allegedly left the site literally half an hour before the strike, citing a sudden deterioration in his health.

After the attack, information emerged that details about the whereabouts of the Iranian leadership might have reached Israeli intelligence from an agent who was close to him.

It was against this backdrop that rumors began to spread in the media and social networks that the secret agent was General Qaani. Especially since this is not the first time he has miraculously avoided death.

Thus, in September 2024, Esmail Qaani visited Beirut to meet with Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah – a key ally of Tehran in Lebanon. At that time, Nasrallah lived under the strictest secrecy, constantly changing hideouts due to the threat of assassination. However, shortly after the meeting with Qaani, Israel launched a precise strike on Hezbollah's main headquarters, as a result of which Nasrallah was eliminated.

In addition, social media and the press recall the events of May 2024. It is alleged that Qaani was supposed to accompany Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a visit to Nakhchivan. However, at the last moment, the general allegedly refused to fly, citing ill health, and did not board the helicopter that later crashed in the mountains in the northwest of the country.

This string of coincidences earned Qaani the nickname 'The Man with Nine Lives'. While many commanders from his entourage died as a result of Israeli and US operations, he repeatedly remained alive, even when he was officially presumed dead.

For example, in October 2024, some media reported that he might have died during an Israeli strike in Lebanon when Nasrallah's successor, Hashem Safieddine, was eliminated. In the first hours after the attack, reports emerged that the general might have been present at the meeting, but later sources in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran stated that he was not there.

A similar situation repeated itself in 2025. During the so-called 12-day war in June, some media again 'buried' Qaani, but he soon appeared on state television, demonstrating that the rumors were premature.

Nevertheless, according to unofficial sources, Iranian intelligence services had already started showing interest in him then: counterintelligence was puzzled by how regularly Qaani left meeting places just minutes before rockets arrived. For a certain period, the general managed to convince investigators of his innocence.

Today's controversies surrounding Qaani have reached their peak. It is reported that Iranian authorities are conducting a large-scale internal investigation, trying to identify a 'Mossad' agent. For example, rumors suggest that the agent handed over a video recording of the killed Ayatollah Khamenei's body to Israel.

Arab media, citing their sources, claim that Esmail Qaani has already been detained and interrogated. Some even reported the general's death after his arrest. Official Tehran remains silent for now: no confirmations of the general's arrest or death have been received. Against this backdrop, the internet is flooded with entirely fantastical versions — even to the extent that the general has been successfully evacuated and is already in Israel.

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