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THIS is the moment Israeli troops pierced the heart of a toppled statue of late Iranian terror commander Qasem Soleimani in Lebanon.
The bronze bust of the Quds Force chief, killed in a US drone strike in 2020, sat near Beirut’s airport to praise Soleimani's supportive role in Lebanon’s wars with Israel.
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The statue previously sparked fury when it was erected in 2021 by the Ghobeiry suburb in a Hezbollah stronghold.
Many Lebanese, primarily Hezbollah critics, flocked to social media to condemn the celebration of a foreign military leader in Lebanon's capital, The Times of Israel reports.
But now, years later, Israel has taken matters into its own hands and destroyed the remains of Soleimani's statue.
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows an Israeli bulldozer piercing the heart of the bronze bust as it lied among the rubble in Southern Lebanon.
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With the statue firmly clutched, the bulldozer goes on to drag it among the debris at the Iran Garden in Maroun al-Ras.
Separate footage showed Israeli bulldozers destroying the Garden as plants and lamp posts being swallowed along the way.
It comes as Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi vowed on Friday that Tehran will not hesitate to take "stronger defensive actions" if Israel retaliates for Iran's missile attack last week.
Israel has since launched a major airstrike in Beirut targeting a senior Hezbollah figure, which killed at least 22 and wounded hundreds.
The terrifying air raid on the capital is one of the deadliest so far as tensions in the region spiralled in recent weeks.
Major Israeli airstrike in Beirut targeting senior Hezbollah figure kills at least 22 and wounds hundreds-
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The chilling airstrike hit two residential buildings in separate neighbourhoods simultaneously - tearing down one eight-story building and wiping out the lower floors of the other, according to AP.
Loud explosions billowed from the city as rescuers were spotted digging through rubble at the scene.
Reports have suggested that the apparent target was one of Hezbollah's high-ranking security officials Wafiq Safa - who is also Hassan Nasrallah's brother-in-law.
Hezbollah's Al Manar TV claimed that the apparent attempt to kill Safa had failed - adding that he hadn't been inside of either of the targeted buildings.
The Israeli military have said it is looking into the reported strikes.
Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets have become more common in Beirut's southern suburbs since the deadly war began.
But the city had seen two relatively quiet days following intensive strikes in recent weeks.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have become palpable with Israel carrying out waves of heavy strikes across Lebanon and launching a ground invasion.
Who was Qasem Soleimani?
QASEM Soleimani was a highly influential Iranian military commander, best known for leading the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responsible for clandestine operations and foreign military interventions.
Born in 1957, Soleimani rose through the ranks during the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), eventually becoming a key figure in shaping Iran’s foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East.
Under his command, the Quds Force supported various militias and proxy groups across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq, and pro-Assad forces in Syria during the civil war. He was seen as instrumental in bolstering Iranian influence in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Soleimani was both feared and respected, often viewed as a mastermind behind Iran’s regional strategy.
His influence made him a national hero in Iran but a controversial figure abroad, particularly in the US and other Western nations, which saw him as responsible for orchestrating attacks on US forces and allies in the region.
On January 3, 2020, Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport, an event that significantly heightened tensions between Iran and America.
His assassination was ordered by then-President Donald Trump, citing that Soleimani was planning imminent attacks on American personnel.
His death marked a turning point in US-Iran relations and was met with widespread mourning in Iran, where he was viewed as a symbol of resistance against Western influence.
Meanwhile, the disappearance of Iran's top military commander has generated widespread outrage, with some claiming he is the traitor behind Israel's tremendous cull of terrorist opponents.
Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, 67, is the terror state's most powerful military figure since strongman Qasem Soleimani was killed by a US strike.
Qaani has not been heard from since an October 4 strike on a bunker in Beirut, where he was thought to be meeting with Hezbollah leaders.
But sources claimed on Thursday that Qaani was being quizzed while under house arrest and was suspected of being Israel's top spy.
Qaani was thought to have killed with Hezbollah heir apparent Hashem Saffeieddine, 60, in last week's bunker explosion.
However, sources in Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran have since revealed that he was not present at the meeting and had avoided another one a week previously in which Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was targeted.
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