Who was Qassem Soleimani?

He will be remembered as a national hero by some and a shadowy foe by others, but whatever one’s take, Qassem Soleimani was a key force behind the spread of Iran’s influence across the Middle East over the past decade.

He came from a poor village in eastern Iran, taking up construction work as a 13-year-old to pay off a loan his father had taken out, Soleimani would prove himself as a unit commander in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s where his bravery was first noted.

He rose rapidly through the ranks of Iran's Revolutionary Guards to become chief of the elite Quds Force in 1998, a post in which he would increase Tehran’s foothold across the region – and become a target for the Israelis, the Saudis and, finally, the Americans.

More here on the life and times of Soleimani.