INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The first visual reaction to the assassination of Iranian general Qasim Soleimani is on display in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.Thousands of
people aligned to the Iraqi Shia militia groups who General Soleimani honed and nurtured over many years have gathered, alongside senior
Iraqi politicians, to mourn his death and those killed with him in the overnight strike.On Sunday, in the Lebanese capital Beirut, another
memorial event will draw many more thousands; supporters of the Hezbollah militia group.Image:Major General Qassem Soleimani was killed in a
US airstrikeGen Soleimani can be credited with turning Hezbollah into the power-brokering military and political force that it is
today.Thousands in Baghdad mourn Iranian generalAnd on Monday, the official funeral of the general is expected to take place in the Iranian
capital Tehran.The three events in three key Middle Eastern countries demonstrate the influence and importance of a shadow warrior who has
moulded Iran's Middle Eastern policy for decades.It is impossible to overstate the power he wielded across the region
The Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, led by him, trained, financed and equipped proxies across the region from Lebanon to Syria and
from Iraq to Yemen.His influence has shaped key Middle Eastern moments in Syria, in Lebanon, in Iraq.Who was Qassem Soleimani?He has been a
central figure in ensuring that Syria's President Assad has remained in power
He was more than just a military commander
He visited Moscow shortly before President Putin committed troops to help President Assad in Syria.In Iran's complex power structure, he
held arguably more strategic influence than the country's top political figures
For many years he has had a direct line to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.He shuttled frequently between Tehran, Beirut and
Baghdad bolstering Iran's axis of influence in the region through its proxies.Khamenei: 'Harsh retaliation' awaits the USIn just the last
few months he is rumoured to have sat in on cabinet meetings in Iraq as street protests threatened the Iranian-backed government.In Lebanon
he has helped guide Hezbollah's policy as similar protests threaten the government there.The removal of this legendary soldier, a household
name in Iran, but also expert in Iranian-style statecraft, will have implications for many years.
