Nasrallah also stated that, "Hajj Imad is among the best leaders and commanders in the Lebanese arena. He had an important role during the occupation [of southern Lebanon by Israel] by 2000. But as for his relationship with Hezbollah, we maintain the tradition of not discussing names." Major General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has described Mugniyeh as "the legend of our time," grief caused by whose loss was only second to that of Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Soleimani stated that what made Mugniyeh unique was not his expertise in guerrilla warfare but "his attachment to something superterrestrial."