Iran’s Quds force chief ‘reappears’ in Tehran after reported Israeli assassination
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, has “reappeared” during celebrations in Tehran despite claims of being assassinated by Israel.
A video clip captured by Iran’s Fars news agency and shared by our Al Jazeera Arabic colleagues showed a man, said to be Qaani, interacting with several people during a rally in the downtown area of the Iranian capital.
A similar video posted by Iran’s English-language state broadcaster Press TV also showed Qaani, the successor of the late commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in Iraq in 2020.
Israel claimed that it killed Qaani during a series of assassinations targeting Iran’s most senior military leaders when it launched its attack on the country on June 13. The Iranian government neither confirmed nor denied the Israeli report.
Previously, it was also reported that Qaani was killed alongside Hezbollah officials during an Israeli attack in Lebanon in 2024.
Iran warns of continued Israeli activities domestically, despite ceasefire
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has warned of continued Israeli “malign” activities inside the country, despite an ongoing ceasefire, the Iranian news agency Fars reports.
Fars quoted the ministry as saying that Israeli operatives have been behind a campaign of “mass phone calls” to Iranians, with the aim of “telephone espionage and obtaining national information”.
The ministry also warned of the spread of “fake news” to incite Iranians to act “against national unity and cohesion”.
As the ceasefire with Israel continues to hold, Iranian authorities have been ramping up security crackdowns and arresting hundreds of people they accuse of spying for Israel, raising concerns among human rights groups.
Iran approves bill to suspend IAEA cooperation
According to Iran’s YJC news outlet, a spokesperson for the country’s Guardian Council says the body has approved a bill passed yesterday by parliament that suspends cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog.
Rhetoric against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from Iranian leaders has resulted from Israel’s assault on the country, with officials blaming the agency for giving Israel and the US justification for carrying out its attacks.
