Israeli media reported the death of the son of Ali Moussa Daqdouq, a Hezbollah operations official in southern Syria, in an Israeli airstrike yesterday. Daqdouq holds a high position in Hezbollah and was previously detained in Iraq. A significant point in his life was revealed by a newspaper report published in London, which stated that Daqdouq was previously arrested by British Special Forces (SAS) and disclosed a secret unit working under his command, active in southern Syria and planning attacks in Israel. According to a report by the *Daily Telegraph*, Ali Moussa Daqdouq, a Hezbollah leader, leads a unit called the "Golan File," which includes a Hezbollah cell planning to launch attacks on the border. The report of Daqdouq's arrest follows the British government's decision to impose a complete ban on the military and political wings of Hezbollah, considering that the party "encourages destabilization" in the Middle East. The British Home Office stated it has decided to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
The report added that "Ali Moussa Daqdouq was previously imprisoned in Iraq in 2006 on charges of planning an attack targeting American soldiers," noting that Daqdouq was arrested in Basra in March 2007 and spent five years in prison before being released in 2012, despite opposition from the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama to this decision. The reporter, Raf Sanchez, mentioned that thousands of Hezbollah members participated in fighting alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against opposition groups in the country, but Israeli intelligence claims that the unit led by Daqdouq is secret and was formed without Assad's knowledge. He pointed out that the unit is still in the process of formation and recruitment and is not currently active, according to the Israeli army. Sanchez concluded that Israel is revealing this cell to push it to abandon its goals and to avoid escalating tensions in the Golan Heights.
London had banned Hezbollah’s external security unit and its military wing in 2001 and 2008, respectively, but now intends to ban its political wing as well. British Home Secretary Sajid Javid stated in the ban issued on February 25, 2018: "Hezbollah continues its attempts to destabilize the fragile situation in the Middle East, and we can no longer distinguish between its banned military wing and its political wing." It is worth noting that Ali Moussa Daqdouq is one of the top leaders of Hezbollah and was an advisor to the leader of the Iraqi Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia, Qais al-Khazali. He was captured by American forces in Basra, Iraq, on March 20, 2007, along with Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali after their participation in an attack against American forces in Karbala on January 20, 2007. At that time, two Iraqi courts found them guilty, but they were released. The U.S. intelligence agency stated that Daqdouq's testimony during his detention was key evidence of cooperation between Iran and Hezbollah. Reports indicated that Daqdouq claimed during interrogation that he was deaf and mute when captured and refused to speak for several weeks. In November 2011, the United States negotiated with the Iraqi government for Daqdouq to remain in American custody after the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011, but he was later transferred to Iraqi custody. On November 16, 2012, it was reported that Ali Moussa Daqdouq had been released from Iraq because the Iraqi government had exhausted its legal options to detain him.
