Lebanon’s Hezbollah has unveiled a huge statue near the Israeli border of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed last month in a US drone strike authorised by Donald Trump.
According to reports, the photos were published by Iranian websites close to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), of which Soleimani was a general.
Local media said the statue was erected to face Israel in Maroun al-Raas in the region of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon.
The statue was unveiled to mark the 40th day since the general’s killing by a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on 3rd January.
Soleimani, who was considered a terrorist by US officials, was the commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations, between 1998 and 2020.
In his later years, he was also considered the second most powerful person in Iran behind Ayatollah Khamenei.
It is believed that the Quds Force played an important role in the Syrian civil war in support of Bashar Assad’s forces as well as assisting Houthi forces in Yemen.
According to local media, Hezbollah has a track record of unveiling monuments in southern Lebanon to anger neighbours Israel.
In the unveiling ceremony, Hezbollah officials praised Soleimani and the commander of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi Abu Mehdi al-Muhandes who was killed in the same drone attack, according to reports.
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Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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