Iran tried to hide the details of its new military commander from Israel. But, Mossad revealed it on X

Fearing that he would be annihilated by Israel like his predecessors, Iran tried to conceal the name of the emergency military command (Khatam al-Anbiya) chief. But, seems like there was no escaping Israel, as within hours, Mossad went on X to publish the name via a 'guess the name' post. 

 

One of the first targets of Israel's Operation Rising Lion on June 13 was Gholam Ali Rashid, the commander of  Khatam-al Anbiya, a branch of the IRGC. He was targeted along with his son in an airstrike in Tehran. Rashid was key in the operations of Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme, mostly consisting of the use of drones in warfare.

 

After Rashid's death, Iran appointed senior officer Ali Shadmani as the next chief of Khatam al-Anbiya. Shadmani, however, could hold the office only for a few days after he too was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a command centre in the heart of Tehran.

 

Stung twice, Iran decided to keep the name of its third chief a secret. 

 

However, Mossad had a different plan. An Farsi account belonging to the Israeli spy organisation, too, to X to put up a 'guess the name game'. The post read: "The Tasnim news agency announced that the Iranian regime will not publish the name of the new commander of Khatam al-Anbiya in order to protect him. We know exactly who he is and know him well. Unfortunately, such basic information is hidden from the Iranian people. Please send us your guesses about his name."

 

Soon, names began to pour in. There were over 2000 responses, some threatening Mossad and others suggesting options like Ahmad Vahidi, adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif; and Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

 

Among them was the right answer. An Iranian user named Behnam Golipour rightly guessed that the name of the secretive new head of the Iranian emergency command was Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi. Mossad replied:  "The lucky winner who successfully guessed the ‘secret’ name is Mr. Behnam. Please contact us privately to receive your prize."

 

Aliabadi previously served as a deputy minister and governor in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s government. He was also the deputy commander of the IRGC Air Force and had been sanctioned by the United States, according to Ynet News.

Middle East