14/06/2026
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14/06/2026
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TEHRAN/BEIRUT, June 14: Iranian state media has released an unseen photograph showing slain Hezbollah commander Ali Musa Daqduq alongside late IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani, amid rising regional tensions following Israel’s strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The image surfaced shortly after the Israeli military confirmed it had killed Daqduq, describing him as a senior Hezbollah commander who held multiple leadership roles within the group. The Israel Defense Forces said he was involved in planning and executing attacks against Israeli forces and accused him of orchestrating the 2007 abduction and killing of five US soldiers in Iraq.
According to the IDF, Daqduq had served in at least five senior positions within Hezbollah’s operational structure.
The developments come as Iranian officials issued sharply worded responses to the Beirut strike. Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, said in a post on X that “zero hour has arrived,” adding that “launchers are being prepared,” in a statement widely interpreted as a warning of potential retaliation.
Another adviser, Mohammad Mokhber, vowed what he called a “regrettable lesson” for the attackers, stressing that Iran would respond in defense of Lebanon. He rejected diplomatic engagement with Israel, saying neither “American diplomatic smiles” nor Israeli actions could be trusted.
“The aggressors will be taught a lesson they will regret,” Mokhber wrote on social media.
The escalation follows continued regional tension after Israel’s strike in Beirut, which has triggered strong reactions from Iranian political and military figures and raised concerns over a wider confrontation involving Hezbollah, Iran, and Israel.
