Esmail Qaani became head of the Guards' Quds Force after the killing of Qassem Soleimani in a US strike in Iraq in 2020.

His message, just the second attributed to him since the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic began on February 28, was posted on X under the handle @general_Qaani, although the social media giant then rapidly suspended the account with a note that "X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules."

The message was also widely published by Iranian news agencies and state television.

Qaani said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to create a "security belt across the region" but the actions of Tehran-backed militant groups including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen had "exposed the regime's false promises".

"Get used to the new regional order," he said.

Qaani was reported to have been killed in the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June, but re-emerged in public.

Intense speculation has since surrounded his whereabouts and standing, amid unconfirmed reports he had come under pressure due to alleged intelligence lapses including the 2024 killing in Lebanon by Israel of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

A dozen key figures in the security apparatus, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei and overall Guards chief Mohammad Pakpour have been killed in airstrikes in the latest war.

But Qaani is one of the most prominent individuals not to have been declared dead.

On March 20, Iranian state media issued the first message of the war in Qaani's name, predicting that Iran would "soon witness the shameful defeat" of its enemies.

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