Ali Musa Daqduq (; died 10 November 2024) was a senior

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

leader and senior advisor to Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali. He played an instrumental role in establishing Iraq’s Iran-backed Shia militias following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

2007 capture by U.S. military

Daqduq was captured by US troops in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

on 20 March 2007 along with Qais al-Khazali and his brother Laith al-Khazali. He is alleged to have participated in the 20 January 2007 attack killing five US troops in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

. Later, in 2012, two Iraqi courts found him not guilty of masterminding the 2007 raid on an American military base and released him from prison. US Intelligence has alleged that Daqduq's testimony during his internment is key evidence for collaboration between Iran and Hezbollah. He is alleged to have been a key facilitator of an

IRGC The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

sniper network in Iraq. On 2 July 2007, US forces identified that they had captured Daqduq. They asserted he was a member of Hezbollah, and was operating with support from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The 2 July press briefing published images of Daqduq's forged identity documents. Iranian officials denied that assertion on 4 July 2007. Daqduq pretended to be deaf and mute when he was captured, and refused to speak for weeks. In November 2011

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

reported that the US was negotiating with the Iraqi government to hold Daqduq in US custody after the US pulled out of Iraq in December 2011. An agreement could not be reached, and Daqduq was transferred to Iraqi custody on 18 December 2011. On 7 May 2012, Iraq dismissed terrorism and false documents charges against Daqduq. The case was automatically appealed, and he remained imprisoned until the appeal was heard in the superior court. The United States believed that releasing him was a very bad idea, that the evidence was clear, and that he was likely to commit more acts of resistance against US occupation forces if released. Officials in the military commissions system in the United States began procedures to charge Daqduq with war crimes (specifically, that he killed or ordered killed four US soldiers captured during a raid). On 16 November 2012, Daqduq was released from Iraqi custody as the Iraqi government determined that it no longer had a legal basis to hold him. Following his release, the US added Daqduq to its list of

Specially Designated Global Terrorist A Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is a person or entity that has been designated as such by the United States Department of State or the U.S. Department of the Treasury. An SDGT designation is made under authority of U.S. Executive ...

s (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order 13224. On 13 March 2019,

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

Lt. Col.

Jonathan Conricus Jonathan Conricus (; born 1979) is a Swedish-Israeli spokesperson and media commentator. He was the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, international spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces from 2017 to 2021. Conricus is a senior fellow at the think tank F ...

accused Daqduq of having come back to Lebanon and then Syria, and founded a

-operated network of "a few" Syrian operatives manning outposts in the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights, or simply the Golan, is a basaltic plateau at the southwest corner of Syria. It is bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, the Anti-Lebanon mountains with Mount Hermon in t ...

border village of Hader,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and collecting intelligence against Israeli targets. The accusation included video footage of men walking to and from the outposts.

Personal life and death

Daqduq's son, Hassan Ali Daqduq, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria's

Quneitra governorate Quneitra Governorate is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in southern Syria, notable for the location of the Golan Heights. The governorate borders the countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, and the Syrian ...

in December 2023. On 10 November 2024, Daqduq was killed by an

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i airstrike in

Popular culture

Daqduq's 2007 raid on US troops in

and subsequent interrogation by CIA and Mossad agents was dramatized in the 2023 Showtime series '' Ghosts of Beirut''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daqduq, Ali Musa 20th-century births Year of birth unknown 2024 deaths People from Beirut Lebanese expatriates in Iraq Lebanese expatriates in Syria Assassinated Hezbollah members Deaths by Israeli airstrikes Military personnel killed in the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present) People killed by Israeli security forces Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List People charged with murder Prisoners and detainees of Iraq Prisoners and detainees of the United States military 20th-century Lebanese people 21st-century Lebanese people