Hezbollah figure killed in Syria had ties to Soleimani

Jihad Mughniyah, a Hezbollah member among those killed the recent Israeli strike in Syria, had a close relationship with Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.
Jihad Moughniyah (R), son of Lebanon's Hezbollah late military leader Imad Moughniyah, sits beside Hizbollah Deputy Secretary General Naeem Kassem during a ceremony marking his fathers 40th death in Beirut's suburbs in this March 24, 2008 file photo. An Israeli helicopter strike in Syria killed Moughniyah, sources close to Hezbollah said, in a major blow that could lead to reprisal attacks. The strike hit a convoy carrying Jihad Moughniyah and other Hezbollah members including commander Abu Issa, in the Sy
Jihad Mughniyah (R), son of late Lebanese Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah, sits beside Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Naeem Kassem during a ceremony following his father's death, in a Beirut suburb, March 24, 2008. - REUTERS/ Khalil Hassan
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Arash Karami
@thekarami
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One of the most surprising deaths in the Jan. 18 Israeli attack against a Hezbollah convoy in Syria was that of “Jawwad” Jihad Mughniyah, the son of Imad Mughniyah, a senior member of Hezbollah who was assassinated in Damascus in 2008. Jihad became well known in Iran last year, when news agencies published photographs of him standing behind Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani during Soleimani’s mother’s funeral.

According to reports, Soleimani was seen talking to Jihad during the funeral and introduced him to guests who arrived to pay their respects. Fars News reported that the relationship between Soleimani and Jihad was such that some people “assumed Jihad was Soleimani’s son.”

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