Hezbollah has unveiled a huge effigy of the Iranian general killed in a US airstrike near the border with Israel.
The terrorist group showed off its new figurine of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
Soleimani was killed last month in a US drone strike personally authorised by Donald Trump.
He is believed to have been the spider at the centre of a sprawling web of terrorist networks destabilising the Middle East.
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 idol was erected to face Israel in Maroun al-Raas in the region of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon.
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The figure was unveiled to mark the 40th day since the general’s killing by a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3.
A Palestinian flag could be seen flying behind him defaced with the Arabic words "we will pray in Jerusalem".
The effigy was on display at the "Garden of Iran" Park, built by the Iranian government, in the southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras.
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.
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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 Hashed al-Shaabi Abu Mehdi al-Muhandes who was killed in the same drone attack.
Soleimani was believed to be even more dangerous than terrorist leaders like Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
He was killed as Trump accused him of plotting attacks on US personnel in the Middle East.
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Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the killing of Soleimani an “act of terror” as he spoke this weekend in Munich.
He blamed Trump’s advisors – saying it was a “very dangerous moment” and the US had been “misled”.
The Islamic Republic retaliated four days after the attack, launching missiles as US bases.
It left more than 100 US troops suffering traumatic brain injuries but did claim any fatalities.
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Soleimani’s death came amid years of tensions between the US and Iran – brought to a head when Trump axed the so-called nuclear deal.
The agreement traded an easing of sanctions for a pledge by Iran to stop its nuclear programme.
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Last month, Trump said: “As long as I am president of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.”
He has however suggested the US is open to negotiate despite fiery rhetoric towards the country, pledging to make the world a “safe and more peaceful place”.
- Iran
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