Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on Monday denied widespread speculation that Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, had been recruited as an Israeli asset. In a terse six-word statement posted in Farsi on X, Mossad’s official account wrote, “قاآنی جاسوس ما نیست” — translated as “Qaani is not our spy.” The post appeared under the handle @MossadSpokesman, which has amassed more than 140,000 followers since Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on June 24. The statement follows months of rumors in fringe and tabloid outlets suggesting Qaani may have been turned by Israeli operatives. The speculation gained traction after Qaani, 62, disappeared from public view during a series of covert Israeli airstrikes in late 2024 that targeted Iranian assets and Hezbollah leaders in Beirut. Some reports claimed Qaani had been detained or tortured by Iranian security services over suspicions he leaked sensitive targeting data to Israel. Other rumors suggested he had died of a heart attack “during questioning” or was under house arrest. Speculation intensified again this month after Israeli precision strikes hit Iranian missile depots, prompting renewed chatter about a possible inside source within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iranian authorities repeatedly denied those allegations, dismissing them as “psychological warfare.” Qaani made a surprise public appearance on June 25 at a rally in central Tehran celebrating the ceasefire, smiling and mingling with civilians in what appeared to be a deliberate move to counter claims he was missing or dead. Iranian state media emphasized that the general looked “in good health.” Qaani has led the IRGC’s powerful Quds Force since 2020, after his predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. He is responsible for managing Iran’s network of proxy militias across the region and remains under U.S. and European Union terrorism sanctions. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)