Based on the information we have, I think the picture is as follows:
July 18: bomb explosion in Damascus
July 19: Prince Bandar named head of Saudi Intelligence
July 20-21: jihadi linked websites in Syria start reporting that the commander of the Quds Force, General
Soleimani, was killed in the Damascus bomb explosion
July 22: Iranian media report that IRGC denies that Soleimani was dead
July 22: Counter operation starts with Iranian source reporting that an
eyewitness told a reporter from al-fajr Press in Yemen that he saw an
explosion at the HQ of Saudi Intelligence and that he heard that
deputy head Mashaal al-Qarni died in the explosion.
July 22: Kurd Press picks up the message and reports it
July 22-23: Iranian press picks up the news about the Saudi
Intelligence HQ bombing
July 29: Iran’s Press TV is the first one to report, based on unconfirmed
sources, that Prince Bandar died of his wounds.
July 29: Voltaire Network (financed by Syrian regime)
reports that there was a bombing on July 26
(sic!) and that Bandar died
July 30: Voltaire Network reports that Bandar is still alive
I think that this timeline makes it clear what happened: The Iranians
pointed the finger at the Saudis for spreading the news about the
possible death of Soleimani in Syria and countered with releasing the
news that Saudi intelligence HQ was bombed and that Bandar and his
deputy died. A not too subtile disinformation operation but both sides,
Iranians and Saudis, got the message I suppose.
* Ronald Sandee is co-founder of the Centall Group and served as the
director of analysis & research at the NEFA Foundation until June
2012. Previously, he worked as a senior analyst counter-terrorism at
the Dutch Ministry of Defense. He focuses his research on core
al-Qa’ida in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area, terrorism in Africa and
radicalization in Europe and the U.S.