Iran marks five years since Qasem Soleimani’s assassination

General Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, was killed in a US airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport on January 3, 2020, alongside six others.

Soleimani, a prominent figure in Iranian politics and military operations, gained recognition for his role in spreading Iranian influence in the Middle East, particularly through his leadership of the Quds Force, the IRGC's foreign arm. His efforts were crucial in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian Civil War and fighting against Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

Born into poverty in southeastern Iran’s Kerman Province, Soleimani rose to prominence in the military after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. He became head of the Quds Force in 1998 and played a key role in shaping Iran’s foreign policy through alliances with Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Iraq, and the Assad regime in Syria.

Under Soleimani’s leadership, the Quds Force grew in both influence and capability, impacting intelligence, political, and military activities across the region. 

Soleimani was rumored dead several times, including after a 2006 plane crash and a 2012 bombing in Damascus. In 2015, there were reports he was injured in Syria, and in 2019, Iran foiled an assassination plot by 'Israeli' and Arab agencies.

His death escalated tensions between the United States and Iran, sparking widespread protests and retaliatory attacks in the region.