Leader hails Gen. Soleimani’s role in revival of resistance front
Leader of Iran's Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei paid tribute to late Iranian
commander Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani for reviving the resistance front in the region.
The family of General Soleimani, who was assassinated by a US drone strike near Baghdad on January 3, 2020, met with Ayatollah Khamenei on Sunday ahead of the fourth anniversary of the martyrdom of the commander, Tasnim news agency reported.
At the meeting, the Leader attributed the lasting memory of General Soleimani to the martyr’s character, his steadfastness and sincerity.
“The most important role and service of the great martyr has been the revival of the resistance front in the region,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
Associating the resistance shown by the people of Gaza against the Israeli onslaught for around three months to the existence of the resistance front, the Leader said General Soleimani had made a great deal of effort to revive the resistance front in a sincere, prudent, wise and moral manner.
The Leader praised the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Quds Force Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani for his services after succeeding General Soleimani, adding, “The course of strengthening of the resistance front must continue.”
In the meeting, also attended by the commanders of the IRGC and the IRGC Quds Force, a daughter of the late commander, Zeinab Soleimani, gave a report on the cultural and artistic programs that have been carried out or are underway to familiarize the younger generation with the spirit, manners and characteristics of General Soleimani.
Also on Sunday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had an unannounced visit to the family of martyr Brigadier General Seyyed Razi Mousavi, as he extended his condolences to his family.
Raisi has condemned Israel’s assassination of the senior Iranian military adviser of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Syria, stressing that the occupying regime will pay the price for the crime, Press TV reported.
The Iranian president called the murder a “cowardly act” and went on to say that the sacrifices and dedication of the martyrs form the cornerstone of the country’s security and power.
“The services and sacrifices of this great commander in supporting and strengthening the Islamic resistance front will forever remain honored,” he added.
“Certainly, this crime will not go unanswered, and the Zionist criminals will pay for this crime,” he said.
Mousavi was killed in a terrorist Israeli airstrike on December 27, while on an advisory mission in Syria.
Iran maintains an advisory mission in Syria at the request of Damascus, with the aim of helping the war-torn Arab country get rid of the foreign-backed militants who have been fighting the democratically-elected Syrian government since 2011.