According to reports, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has emerged from his bunker for the first time since Operation Roaring Lion to attend a high-level meeting of senior IRGC officials ahead of the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The IRGC Navy commander, the spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, the IRGC spokeswoman, and dozens of other senior officials also left their bunkers for the meeting, which is currently underway.
The IRGC commander's emergence from his bunker for a planned senior meeting marks an escalation in visible command coordination, as the military leadership prepares for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At 17:08 on Thursday, reports indicate the commander, previously identified by The Zioneer as Ahmad Vahidi, along with the IRGC Navy commander, the spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, the IRGC spokeswoman, and dozens of other senior officials have left their bunkers for the meeting now underway.
This development follows earlier images that emerged Thursday at 15:11 Jerusalem showing Vahidi at a funeral planning meeting—his first documented public sighting since Operation Roaring Lion in February. In that initial unverified report via a Persian-language source, the focus was on logistics and security. The current report adds the participation of additional senior commanders, expanding the picture of a coordinated gathering from a single commander's appearance to a broader assembly of the IRGC's top echelon outside their fortified positions. The corroboration remains limited as the earlier reports also stemmed from the same single source.
As The Zioneer has reported, the IRGC has maintained a posture of high military readiness in recent weeks, amid escalating tensions with Israel and the US. The commander's first public appearance since February was noted Thursday at 15:42 Jerusalem, when he met with Iran's president, suggesting a gradual re-emergence. This meeting, however, marks the first time multiple senior commanders have simultaneously left their bunkers, potentially signaling a shift in operational posture or ceremonial coordination for the funeral, expected to draw large crowds.
The authenticity of the report could not be independently verified, and the single source is the source. It remains unclear whether the meeting is purely ceremonial or part of a broader reassessment of the IRGC's security stance following the death of the supreme leader.
3 developments
- StrongIRGC commander Vahidi makes first appearance since war began, attends meeting on Khamenei funeral with Iran's president and speaker
- StrongIRGC chief of staff says Khamenei burial site being prepared at Khomeini mausoleum
- DevelopingSenior Iranian official: Khamenei purges government officials, replaces them with IRGC figures
- StrongJoint funeral reported for Khamenei and his daughter-in-law, who died in strike that killed him
Source and signal
- Internal intake