Mossad taunts Khamenei with a secret photo of top Iranian general Esmail Qaani: ‘He was a bit shy at first’

Mossad, the spy agency of Israel, unleashed another psychological warfare on Iran by publishing a photo from a secret meeting held by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Esmail Qaani.

The photograph, published on Mossad’s Persian account on X, shows Qaani, who serves  as the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, sitting in a closed room and having a  conversation with a person whose identity has been blurred. The Quds Force is an elite special operations force responsible for extraterritorial operations outside Iran.

Mossad also tagged Khamenei in the post. "Remember when we promised to share with you more memories we have with Kaani and Saberi? Here's another photo that brings back memories from a few years ago. At the first meeting, he was a bit shy; he didn't even touch the teacup. In subsequent meetings, the shyness disappeared, and he drank – and drank well – and not just tea.”

This comes just days after Iranian sources dismissed speculations on social media that  Esmael Qaani was killed in Israeli action.  The general himself dismissed such rumours, saying, “The Zionist regime spreads reports about my assassination so that my friends become worried and try to contact me, allowing them (Zionists) to determine my exact location.”

Many believe the other person in the post was an Israeli intelligence official, alluding to  Qaani’s alleged ties with the country. They believe the photograph purportedly presented a secret meeting from the past – perhaps as part of an investigation, perhaps as psychological warfare.

There have been rumours earlier, too, about Qaani that he was an Israeli spy. Speculation  was that the Iranian general had been flipped by Israel’s intelligence service. However, in June, Mossad disputed the rumours stating that he was not their spy.

The six-word post — “Qaani is not our spy” appeared soon after the Israel-Iran war.