Qasem Soleimani[ME] (Persian: قاسم سلیمانی‎, pronounced [ɢɒ:ˌsem solejˈmɒ:ni:]; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and, from 1998 until his death in 2020, commander of its Quds Force, a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations. In his later years, he was considered the second most powerful person in Iran behind Ayatollah Khamenei.[21][22] and his right-hand man.[23]

Soleimani initially worked in construction[24][25] before joining the Revolutionary Guards in 1979 and assembling and leading a company of men when the Iran–Iraq War began in 1980, rising through the ranks to become commander of the 41st Tharallah Division in his 20s.[26] He was later involved in extraterritorial operations, and in the late 1990s became commander of the Quds Force.[27] Following September 11, 2001, Iranian diplomats under his direction collaborated with the U.S. to fight the Taliban.[2] Soleimani also provided assistance to Hezbollah in Lebanon.[2] In 2012, Soleimani helped bolster the government of Syria and its president, Bashar al-Assad, a key Iranian ally. He ran Iran's operations in the Syrian Civil War and helped to plan the Russian military intervention in Syria.[28] Soleimani oversaw Kurdish and Shia militia forces in Iraq, and assisted Iraqi forces that advanced against ISIL in 2014–2015.[29][30] Soleimani was one of the first to support Kurdish forces, providing them with arms.[31][32]

Soleimani was popular among many Iranians, with many viewing him as a "selfless hero fighting Iran's enemies",[33][34][35] while others deemed him a "murderer".[36][37][38] Soleimani was personally sanctioned by the United Nations and the European Union[39][40][41] and was designated as a terrorist by the United States in 2005.[42][43][44]

Soleimani was assassinated in a targeted U.S. drone strike on 3 January 2020 in Baghdad, which was approved by President Donald Trump. The strike was strongly condemned by many, including the Iranian government, and a multi-city funeral was held in Iraq and Iran for the general and other casualties. Hours after Soleimani's burial on 7 January 2020, the Iranian military launched missiles against U.S. bases in Iraq; no lives were lost in the attack.[45]