Ghassem Soleimani Grieves With Family of Assad’s Cousin

A picture recently published on Facebook that is going viral on the Iranian cybersphere shows Ghassem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards elite Qods Force, offering his condolences to the family of a prominent relative of Bashar al-Assad. Hilal al-Assad, a cousin of the Syrian president, was killed by insurgents on March 23^rd of this year.

The photo offers a rare visual reminder of the intimate ties between Iran’s top military commander and high-ranking Syrian officials.

In recent months reports about the activities of the Qods Force in Syria have escalated, and Soleimani has declared that “we will support Syria to the end,” a position shared by top Iranian military leaders. Soleimani, or Haj Ghassem as he is known informally by colleagues and admirers, has famously said that “Syria is now the frontline. The world is on one side and Iran is on the other.”

It is not the first time Soliemani, whose elite branch handles operations outside Iran’s borders, creates a regional frisson with his colorful and provocative appearances.

A 2013 picture that also circulated widely showed Soleimani with Jihad Mughniyeh, son of Imad Mughniyeh, the iconic Lebanese Hezbollah leader who was assassinated in a car blast in February of 2008. As a hardline media outlet wrote at the time, one would have imagined Soleimani was the young Mughniyeh’s father, not a family friend. Soleimani is known to be sentimental, maintaining close relations with his military and political associates. Two years ago a video clip showed him weeping uncontrollably over the death of a Revolutionary Guards commander.