Iran’s foreign minister wasn’t, and he resigned in protest at being excluded from talks with a crucial ally. His killing in an U.S. airstrike in Iraq is likely to rattle thousands of Iran-backed fighters in Syria. He reorganized Syria’s own various paramilitary groups into one force, injecting disciplined fighters into the otherwise drained troops. When Aleppo was recaptured in 2016, it was Soleimani, not Assad, who visited the city. Eulogizing Soleimani, Assad said he left “clear marks in his victories against terrorist groups” in Syria.

Source: Egypt Independent January 07, 2020 08:03 UTC