Qasem Soleimani

Who was Qasem Soleimani?

 * Iran's Qasem Soleimani Is Guiding Iraqi Forces in Fight Against ISIS - NBC News, March 8, 2015
 * Qasem Soleimani: What We Know About Iranian Elite Force’s General That US Took Aim at - Sputnik, January 3, 2020
 * Who was General Qassem Soleimani? - PressTV, January 3, 2020

Role in Syria and Iraq
There are two popular versions of what external factors motivated Russia to deploy forces to Syria. One of them ('semi-official') is a visit of Soleimani to Moscow who is said to convince Russian leadership to intervene/deploy airforce. Another (opposition/Strelkov) is a request by Obama; an indirect evidence for this may be Putin's comment to the effect that 'our agreements with Obama on Syria' did not work out.

Soleimani was from time to time photographed with pro-Iranian groups fighting in Iraq and Syria and is described as a 'key strategist and commander leading Iranian military advisers assisting Syrian and Iraqi troops'.

It is claimed that “Iraq’s government authorities regularly invited Soleimani to meetings regarding various subjects, this is why he had been constantly traveling to the country” and that he was a “formal” and “high-profile” guest of the Iraqi government.

Quds Force ('Jerusalem' force) is tasked with IRI operations abroad. --Resup (talk) 15:03, 4 January 2020 (UTC)

Assassination

 * Iraqi Sources Reveal Weapon Used To Kill General Soleimani - SouthFront, January 4, 2020

Planning

 * Plans to Kill Soleimani Began Forming Soon After Christmas by Small Team of Trump Advisors - Report - Sputnik, January 4, 2020
 * As Tensions With Iran Escalated, Trump Opted for Most Extreme Measure, according to 4 talking wonders, Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt, Maggie Haberman and Rukmini Callimachi, The New York Times, January 4, 2020

Iranian statements

 * Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Iraq's PMU deputy head assassinated in US strike - PressTV (Iran), January 3, 2020
 * Message by the Leader, Ayatullah Khamenei, regarding the martyrdom of Shahid Sardar Qasem Suleimani - The Saker, January 3, 2020 also at IUM Press
 * Qassem Soleimani: Iran vows 'harsh vengeance' after top general killed in US airstrike - The Independent, January 3, 2020
 * Iran will be patient in planning crushing anti-US response: IRGC commander - PressTV, January 4, 2020

Analysis

 * Lies About Iran Killing US Troops in Iraq Are a Ploy to Justify War - Gareth Porter, Truthout, July 9, 2019
 * "Trump’s order to assassinate Iranian General Soleimani draws swift condemnation from US officials" - PressTV (Iran), January 3, 2020
 * U.S. Will Come To Regret Its Assassination of Qassim Soleimani - Moon of Alabama, January 3, 2020
 * How will Iran retaliate for the assassination of Qasem Suleiman? - Anna Ahronheim, The Jerusalem Post, January 3, 2020
 * How Russia is reading the killing of Qasem Soleimani - Maxim A. Suchkov, Al Monitor, January 3, 2020
 * Trump ordered the assassination of Soleimani, and the Middle East prepares for possible war - Mideast Discourse, January 3, 2020
 * The Soleimani Assassination: The Long-Awaited Beginning of The End of America’s Imperial Ambitions - Philip Giraldi, AH Tribune, January 3, 2020
 * Iranian Revenge Will Be A Dish Best Served Cold - Scott Ritter, American Conservative, January 4, 2020