By Robert Inlakesh

Israeli media worked to weaponize the lack of public appearance by the Quds Force General and ended up creating a litany of false stories.

The disappearance of Quds Force General in early October led to a string of false stories as Israeli media capitalized on the situation following recent assassinations in Beirut and Damascus. False claims and fabrications were spread regarding Iranian officials, including the replacement of Qassem Soleimani by Esmail Qaani.

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Rumors of Qaani’s death circulated, with some reports suggesting he had defected. However, his public appearance on October 15 dispelled the false claims propagated by biased media sources. The Middle East Eye’s controversial article on the topic was off-brand compared to its usual quality content.

– Robert Inlakesh is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. He focuses on the Middle East, specializing in Palestine. He contributed this article to The Palestine Chronicle.