Part 1: General Soleimani of Iran: Rebuilding the Persian Empire?

Part 1: Is Iran's General Soleimani attempting to re-establish the Persian Empire? Or in modern language the Shia Crescent (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen). Let's take a look.


Iraq

I previously mentioned Soleimani's role in Iraq. I suspect that he will be setting up a nice source of funds via the Kirkuk oil fields to help with furthering Iran's (or his) political/military power.

Let's take a look at his role across the rest of the Middle East.

Gaza Strip

After the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Soleimani voiced support for Gaza. Via Reuters:

Soleimani said he has “complete support for Palestinian Islamic resistance movements” after phone calls with commanders from Islamic Jihad and the Izz al-Deen Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement . . . 

Hezbollah/Lebanon/Syria

There are some interesting points via Reuters:

1. The Arab Spring helped Hezbollah gain power.

2. It was a major force in Syria, helping prop up President Bashar al-Assad.

3. Via their role in Syria, Hezbollah gained valuable experience on both the military and diplomat fronts.

4. It is a major force in Yemen, supporting the Houthi rebels.

5. Hezbollah also was instrumental in setting up the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq. (Note: I believe the PMF is also called the Popular Mobilisation Units.)

6. Here's a key quote:  But as President Bashar al-Assad lost ground, Hezbollah sent more fighters to aid Syrian security forces ill suited to the conflict they faced. Hezbollah’s role was crucial in defeating many of the rebels who fought Assad . . . 

Essentially, Syria's al-Assad owes Hezbollah (and Iran) some serious favors.

Of course, this is an blog post about Soleimani. The article also states that he helped lead Hezbollah forces in Syria for the final battle against ISIS. So yeah, Syria also owes him some serious favors.