TruthPR Guest Hooman Khalili

World Cup Coverage: “The Kids Who Never Got to Play the Beautiful Game”

News Pitch

With the World Cup coming to North America, I’m flagging a visual story that connects the global language of soccer with the lives of children caught in the crossfire of the Iran–Hezbollah conflict.

As the world turns its attention to stadiums, goals, and national pride, this mural quietly asks a different question: which children get to grow up and play, and which never make it off the field? It’s a powerful way to humanize policy debates over Iran and Hezbollah, and it gives your audience a World Cup‑relevant lens on human rights, terrorism, and the targeting of civilians—without feeling like another panel segment.

TruthPR Guest Hooman Khalili

The Soccer Field Where 12 Children Died – And the Mural That Won’t Let Us Forget

News Pitch

I have a visually strong segment that hits your core wheelhouse: Iran, Hezbollah, and civilians targeted by terror—told through the story of twelve Druze kids killed on a soccer field and the mural that refuses to let it be forgotten.

In July 2024, a rocket slammed into a Druze village soccer field in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, killing twelve children and teenagers during practice—an attack Israel and rights groups blamed on Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon. The kids were in uniforms, cleats on, playing soccer.

TruthPR Guest Hooman Khalili

Houston mural honoring 12 children killed in rocket attack 

News Pitch

Twelve Druze kids laced up their cleats on a July afternoon in Majdal Shams, excited to play under the lights on their village soccer field.

Moments later, a rocket tore through the sky and killed them where they stood.

Houston Mural unveiled: This image is what Iranian-American artist Hooman Khalili could not shake—and it’s why he’s now created a striking mural in Houston that is already sparking emotional reactions and conversation.