Soleimani Reveals Details of Role He Played in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War

 Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani(L) stands at the frontline in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani(L) stands at the frontline in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Soleimani Reveals Details of Role He Played in the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War

 Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani(L) stands at the frontline in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani(L) stands at the frontline in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

The Iranian State TV broadcast on Tuesday an exclusive interview with Commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander, Major General Qasem Soleimani, who has given an insight on his role in Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

This is the first interview of Soleimani, who is in charge of foreign operations especially in Syria and Iraq.

During the 90-minute interview, Soleimani gave details of his role in Lebanon in advising ‘Hezbollah’ during the 34-day war. He came to Lebanon accompanied by Hezbollah military leader Imad Mughniyeh who was later assassinated in 2008.

Mughniyeh was considered the engineer of the 2006 war, which killed 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis.

Soleimani spoke about the incident that triggered the war, represented in a group from Hezbollah managing to “attack a vehicle of the Zionists, inside the occupied lands and captured two wounded persons from inside the vehicle as hostages” on July 12.

After one week of his arrival to Lebanon, he traveled to Iran to brief Khamenei on the updates in Lebanon -- Soleimani returned on the same day with a message to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

The Major General remained in the country until the end of the war. He didn’t mention the presence of other Iranians and only narrated his personal experience during the interview.

He also recounted how, under Israeli bombardment of Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs, he and Mughniyeh moved out Nasrallah from his "operations room" where they were based, and then they returned to the command center.

The interview, which was carried out by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office, came days after it published a photo showing Nasrallah next to Khamenei and Soleimani, in an apparent recent meeting between the three in Tehran.



Second Flight Leaves Beirut to Take Brazilians Home

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Second Flight Leaves Beirut to Take Brazilians Home

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (C) welcomes citizens fleeing the conflict between Israel and Lebanon on arrival from Beirut on the first rescue flight of the Brazilian government, at Sao Paulo Air Base in Guarulhos, Sao Paulo state, Brazil on October 6, 2024. (AFP)

The second repatriation flight organized by the Brazilian government to assist its nationals left Beirut on Monday, according to a statement from the Brazilian air force.

The plane carrying 227 Brazilians, including 49 children, will stop for fuel in Lisbon before heading to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport, where it is due to arrive Tuesday.

The plane took Lebanon medical and hospital supplies donated by Brazil, Brazil’s foreign ministry said Monday, adding that more will follow in future flights.

The first repatriation flight landed in Sao Paulo on Sunday. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was on site to greet those fleeing the violence.

About 21,000 Brazilians live in Lebanon, which is home to the largest community of Brazilians in the Middle East. Two Brazilian adolescents have been killed by Israeli bombardments in Lebanon.

In a separate statement, Brazil's foreign ministry called “for the immediate release of all hostages and for negotiations that lead to a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.”