An old photo brought together Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian leader Mohammad Reza Zahidi, who was assassinated by Israel today during an airstrike targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria. According to information, Zahidi, who was the commander of the "Quds Force" in Syria and Lebanon, was considered one of the most prominent Iranian figures in the region. He was directly supervising the activities of the Revolutionary Guard in the mentioned countries and had a close and direct relationship with Hezbollah.
Israeli media reported that Zahidi led Unit 18000 of the Quds Force, responsible for smuggling ammunition and precision weapons to Lebanon. He also previously commanded the air forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Imam Hussein Brigade. Zahidi's relationship with Hezbollah dates back many years; he served as a diplomatic official in Lebanon over 25 years ago, working as the second assistant to the Iranian ambassador in Beirut from 1998 to 2000.
In 2008, the Italian newspaper "Corriere della sera" published a report stating that Iran sent Zahidi to Lebanon at that time, following the assassination of Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh in Syria. According to the newspaper, Zahidi was to replace Mughniyeh, and his role would revolve around organizing the relationship between Hezbollah and Syrian intelligence, in addition to assisting Hezbollah in establishing new fortifications in southern Lebanon.
Zahidi also played an additional military role; he oversaw the delivery of weapons from Syria to Hezbollah and worked on turning several Lebanese villages in the south into hidden military areas. He hid missiles behind false walls and focused on reorganizing the security apparatus within Hezbollah after Mughniyeh's assassination, according to the newspaper.
