Is This Iranian General The Real Leader Of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, And Yemen?

Qassem Suleimani celebrating with Hade Amre, chief of Shia militias, during the liberation of Jawlala in Iraq from the Islamic State.

Iran's Military Mastermind Is 'The Leader Of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, And Yemen' -- Michael B Kelley, Business Insider

As the US provides air coverfor Iranian-backed militias fighting ISIS (aka the Islamic State, ISIL, and/or Daesh) in Iraq, the longest continuously serving American official in the country has strong opinions about who is in control.

Ali Khedery, who served as a special assistant to five US ambassadors and a senior adviser to three heads of US Central Command between 2003 and 2009, told The New York Times: “For the Iranians, really, the gloves are off.”

He highlighted the role of Qassem Suleimani, the head of the Qods Force, the foreign arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps. Qods is directing sectarian militias in both Iraq and Syria. At the same time, Suleimani is nurturing the guerilla proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis rebel group in Yemen — in other words, he is controlling powerful Shia proxies all across the Middle East.

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My Comment: To me .... the head of the Islamic State (Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi) and Iranian Qods commander (Qassem Suleimani) are the same ..... but on opposite sides of the coin. And if there is a difference, it is that Qassem Suleimani has the backing of a nation state (Iran), while Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi support comes from volunteers and sympathetic Sunni communities in Syria and Iraq, and from supporters in a few Gulf States. But of the two ..... Iranian General Qassem Suleimani is the most dangerous .... his resources and backing is enormous, and it is his support (and implementation) of policies that has helped in producing this Shiite - Sunni divide. But what makes him particular dangerous right now .... is his push for a military solution to this Sunni - Shiite conflict .... a push that I predict is only going to radicalize the Sunni communities throughout the Middle East, and possibly bring a major religious conflict of a type that we have not seen in centuries in this part of the world