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After more than two weeks of speculation regarding his fate, Ismail Qaani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, made his first public appearance.

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On Tuesday, Iranian media broadcast footage showing Qaani at Mehrabad Airport during the reception ceremony for the body of Abbas Nilfroshan, a prominent Revolutionary Guard leader who was killed in Lebanon.

Qaani appeared pale, wearing dark sunglasses that concealed his eyes, seated among Iranian officials at the airport.

His appearance follows conflicting speculations about his fate, amid leaks claiming he was either wounded or killed in the Israeli raid targeting Hashem Safi al-Din, the chairman of Hezbollah’s Executive Council and potential successor to Hassan Nasrallah.

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Other reports suggested he was being investigated due to his office manager’s alleged “collaboration” with Israel, though Iranian authorities denied both scenarios.

Qaani was last seen publicly on September 29 at Hezbollah’s office in Tehran, where he was offering condolences following the assassination of Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut.

Five days later, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared at Tehran’s mosque delivering a eulogy for Nasrallah, but Qaani and other leaders were absent.

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On October 6, Tasnim News Agency published photos of Khamenei awarding the “Order of Victory” to the commander of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, an event Qaani also did not attend.

On October 9, Iran hinted vaguely about Qaani’s fate, stating that Supreme Leader Khamenei would soon award him the “Order of Victory.”

Tasnim, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, reported that Ismail Qaani was in “good health.”

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However, the following day, a flood of reports emerged concerning Qaani’s fate, with some claiming he was under investigation. An Iranian dissident military expert even alleged that Qaani had suffered a heart attack “due to torture during interrogation.”

Speculations about Qaani’s fate were further fueled by his absence from a conference supporting Palestinian children, with Iranian media reporting he cited participation in another important meeting as his reason for not attending.

Qaani took over the leadership of the Quds Force following the death of Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq in 2020.

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