The 62-year-old was widely seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran, behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The È«Äá·¹Çø®Ä«¹Ì·¯±Þ=·¹Çø®Ä«¹Ì·¯±Þ ·¹Çø®Ä«·¹Çø®Ä« ·¹Çø®Ä«½Å¹ß Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported directly to the ayatollah, and Soleimani was hailed as a heroic national ¸íÇ°ÈĵåƼ=¸íÇ°ÈĵåƼ figure.
He was widely considered an architect of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's war against rebels in Syria, the rise of pro-Iranian paramilitaries in Iraq, the ¸ÅÆ®¸®½º·»Å»=¸ÅÆ®¸®½º·»Å»À̺¥Æ® fight against the Islamic State group, and many battles beyond.
Charismatic and often elusive, the silver-haired commander was revered by some, loathed by others, and a source of myths and social media »ç¹«±â±â·»Å»=»ç¹«±â±â·»Å»¾ÆÁÖÁÁÀ½ memes. He had emerged in recent years from a lifetime in the shadows directing covert operations to achieve fame and popularity in Iran, becoming the subject of documentaries, news reports and even pop songs.
Under his 21-year leadership of the ³²ÀÚ·¹Çø®Ä«½Å¹ß=³²ÀÚ·¹Çø®Ä«½Å¹ß Quds Force, Iran bolstered Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian militant groups in Lebanon; expanded its military presence in Iraq and Syria; and orchestrated Syria's offensive against rebel groups in that country's long civil war.