Soleimani, a general who became Iran icon by targeting US

For Iranians whose icons since Islamic Revolution have been stern-faced clergy, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani widely represented a figure of national resilience in face of four deces of U.S. pressure.

For U.S. and Israel, he was a showy figure in command of Iran's proxy forces, responsible for fighters in Syria backing President Bashar Ass and for deaths of American troops in Iraq.

Solemani survived horror of Iran’s long war in 1980s with Iraq to take control of Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, responsible for Islamic Republic’s foreign campaigns.

Relatively unkwn in Iran until 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Soleimani's popularity and mystique grew out American officials calling for his killing. By time it came a dece and a half later, Soleimani h become Iran's most recognizable battlefield commander, igring calls to enter politics but becoming as powerful, if t more, than its civilian leership.

“ warfront is mankind’s lost parise,” Soleimani recounted in a 2009 interview. “One of parise that is portrayed for mankind is streams, beautiful nymphs and greeneries. But re is ar kind of parise. ... warfront was lost parise of human beings, indeed.”

Soleimani's luck ran out after being rumored de several times in his life. Those incidents included a 2006 airplane crash that killed or military officials in rthwestern Iran and a 2012 bombing in Damascus that killed top aides of Ass. More recently, rumors circulated in vember 2015 that Soleimani was killed or seriously wounded leing forces loyal to Ass as y fought around Syria’s Aleppo.

Iranian officials quickly vowed to take revenge amid months of tensions between Iran and U.S. following Trump pulling out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. While Soleimani was Guard's most prominent general, many ors in its ranks have experience in waging asymmetrical, proxy attacks for which Iran has become kwn.

“Trump through his gamble has dragged U.S. into most dangerous situation in region,” Hessameddin Ashena, an viser to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, wrote on social media app Telegram. “Whoever put his foot beyond red line should be rey to face its consequences.”

Born March 11, 1957, Soleimani was said in his homeland to have grown up near mountaius and historic Iranian town of Rabor, famous for its forests, its apricot, walnut and peach harvests and its brave soldiers. U.S. State Department has said he was born in Iranian religious capital of Qom.

Little is kwn about his childhood, though Iranian accounts suggest Soleimani’s far was a peasant who received a piece of land under Shah Mohamm Reza Pahlavi, but later became encumbered by debts.

By time he was 13, Soleimani began working in construction, later as an employee of Kerman Water Organization. Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution swept shah from power and Soleimani joined Revolutionary Guard in its wake. He deployed to Iran’s rthwest with forces that put down Kurdish unrest following revolution.

Soon after, Iraq inved Iran and began two countries long, bloody eight-year war. fighting killed more than 1 million people and saw Iran send waves of lightly armed troops into minefields and fire of Iraqi forces, including teen soldiers. Solemani’s unit and ors came under attack by Iraqi chemical weapons as well.

Amid carn, Soleimani became kwn for his opposition to “meaningless deaths” on battlefield, while still weeping at times with fervor when exhorting his men into combat, embracing each individually.

After Iraq-Iran war, Soleimani largely disappeared from public view for several years, something analysts attribute to his wartime disagreements with Hashemi Rafsanjani, who would serve as Iran’s president from 1989 to 1997. But after Rafsanjani, Soleimani became he of Quds force. He also grew so close to Khamenei that Supreme Leer officiated wedding of general’s daughter.

As chief of Quds — or Jerusalem — Force, Solemani oversaw Guard’s foreign operations and soon would come to attention of Americans following 2003 invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Sdam Hussein.

In secret U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, U.S. officials openly discussed Iraqi efforts to reach out to Soleimani to stop rocket attacks on highly secured Green Zone in Baghd in 2009. Ar cable in 2007 outlines n-Iraqi President Jalal Talabani offering a U.S. official a mess from Soleimani ackwledging having “hundreds” of nts in country while pledging, “I swear on grave of ( late Ayatollah Ruhollah) Khomeini I haven’t authorized a bullet against U.S.”

U.S. officials at time dismissed Soleimani’s claim as y saw Iran as both an arsonist and a fireman in Iraq, controlling some Shiite militias while simultaneously stirring dissent and launching attacks. U.S. forces would blame Quds Force for an attack in Karbala that killed five American troops, as well as for training and supplying bomb makers whose improvised explosive devices me IED — improvised explosive device — a dreed acronym among soldiers.

In a 2010 speech, U.S. Gen. David Petreaus recounted a mess from Soleimani he said explained scope of Iranian’s powers.

“He said, ‘Gen. Petreaus, you should kw that I, Qassem Soleimani, control policy for Iran with respect to Iraq, Leban, Gaza and Afghanistan,’” Petraeus said.

U.S. and United Nations put Soleimani on sanctions lists in 2007, though his travels continued. In 2011, U.S. officials also named him as a defendant in an outlandish Quds Force plot to allegedly hire a purported Mexican drug cartel assassin to kill a Saudi diplomat.

But his greatest toriety would arise from Syrian civil war and rapid expansion of Islamic State group. Iran, a major backer of Ass, sent Soleimani into Syria several times to le attacks against IS and ors opposing Ass’s rule. While a U.S.-led coalition focused on airstrikes, several ground victories for Iraqi forces came with photographs emerging of Soleimani leing, never wearing a flak jacket.

"Soleimani has taught us that death is beginning of life, t end of life," one Iraqi militia commander said.