WWW 3 Iran Allies

Throughout his career, General Soleimani enjoyed

devoted loyalty from tens of thousands of fighters across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the Gaza Strip.

Iraq militias

Iran has trained, financed and equipped Shiite militias in Iraq for several years.

Since the 2003 invasion by the US, these forces have been mobilised and supportive of Iran.

The groups in the country in support of Iran include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataeb Hezbollah and the Badr Organization, all three led by men who had close ties to General Soleimani.

The leader of Kataeb Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed in the strike that felled General Soleimani.

The militias are part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of mostly Shiite militias that were incorporated into the country’s armed forces in 2016.

In total, the group includes more than 140,000 fighters, and are at the command of Iraq’s prime minister, who is aligned with Iran.

World War 3: How does a World War start? How is it announced?

Hezbollah

The Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon.

The group is among the most effective armed factions in the region, extending Iran’s influence to Israel’s doorstep.

Hezbollah was formed to combat Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in 1982 after which time it waged an 18-year guerrilla war against Israeli forces, eventually forcing them to withdraw from Lebanon in 2000.

The group has an arsenal of tens of thousands of rockets and missiles and extensive battle experience.

The group is allied with: Iran, Syria, Russia, Lebanon and Iraq, and also has alleged to be allied with Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela, although the latter two have denied the partnership.