Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the figure responsible for coordinating Iran’s proxy forces across the Middle East, broke a prolonged silence today (Monday).
Qaani opened an official account on X and published an aggressive post against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu dreamed of expanding the security zone in the region, but the smart and brave fire of Hezbollah in the north and the Houthis in the south exposed the false promises of the Zionist regime to the settlers," Qaani wrote in his first post.
He added a threatening message: “The wish of the commanders of the resistance has been fulfilled: one operations room for the resistance front-you must get used to the new order in the region."
Qaani’s appearance on social media comes after a long period during which he had not been seen in public or issued official statements since the start of Operation “Roaring Lion."
His disappearance had fueled a wave of rumors in the Arab world and Iran, including serious allegations that he had been acting as a spy for Israel.
Qaani’s posts came in direct response to remarks made yesterday by Netanyahu during a visit to the Northern Command. “I have now instructed to further expand the existing security zone. We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in the north," Netanyahu said.
He added a message of strength regarding Iran’s axis: “Iran is not the same Iran, Hezbollah is not the same Hezbollah, and Hamas is not the same Hamas. These are no longer terror armies that threaten our existence-they are defeated enemies fighting for their own survival."