BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:00 P.M.) – For the first time, Hezbollah revealed the “pivotal role” of the late commander of the Quds Force, Major-General Qassem Soleimani, in the 2006 War.
In an interview with Al-Ahd News, Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, said that “Soleimani was one of those directly in the central operations room to meet urgent needs and to give an opinion on some military plans that accompany confronting the enemy.”
Sheikh Qassem said that “the July 2006 aggression is a real Israeli war on Lebanon that was aimed at crushing the Islamic resistance as they crossed, but praise be to God there was the preparation, the willingness, the readiness, the presence of the wise leadership represented by the Secretary-General, as well as the basic military leadership and jihad that was present. And the daily support that was presented by Hajj Qassem Suleimani, who refused to leave Lebanon at the height of the battles and in the most intense wars that were against Lebanon.”
He added: “The reason for his presence in the operations room was to confine himself to jihad work. We met with him as a consultant in the post, and there was discussion on how to help people and how to invest the results of the war that took place and the victory that prevailed in Lebanon with his praise.”
In response to a question about the first thing he conjures up in the mind when mentioning the name of Soleimani, he said:
“The first thing that I invoke in my mind when mentioning the martyr commander, the great Hajj Qassem Soleimani is humility and connection with the people of whom the peace is upon them, the state of merging with the state and the command of God Almighty. He was living with the Mujahideen in all the arenas, and there was also an important point in the character of the martyr Soleimani that he was a politicized military leader, that is, he had a political strategic vision in addition to the military strategic vision, and this was different from what he assessed in situations and its follow-up.
The martyr Qassem Suleimani imposed himself as an exceptional figure, and this matter was clearly demonstrated by the millions of people who had came from various regions in Iran and elsewhere to show his testimony, indicating the wide impact that he left.”
The late commander of the Quds Force was assassinated during a U.S. raid near the Baghdad International Airport on January 3rd, 2020. Also in the vehicle with him was the late Deputy Head of the Popular Mobilization Units (Hashd Al-Sha’abi), Abu Mahdi Al-Mohandis.
