Who was Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian General killed by the US?

General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC's) Quds Force and one of the most important men in the Iranian foreign policy circle was assassinated early on Friday alongside six others following a US air strike that took out his vehicle at Baghdad’s international airport.

Soleimani acquired cult status at home and in West Asia as leader of the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and for his key role in fighting the ISIS in Syria and Iraq. He was also the key behind the spread of Iranian influence in West Asia, something which irked the United States and Tehran's arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Under General Soleimani's leadership, the Quds Force transformed into a fweapon to further Iranian interests abroad with vastly expanded capabilities in intelligence, financial and political spheres beyond Iran's borders.

Soleimani became the head of the Quds Force in 1998 and kept a low profile for many years while he strengthened Iran's ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syria's Bashar al-Assad and Shia militia groups in Iraq. He was perceived to be extremely close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Shia leaders. Many called him the second most important person in Iran.

Born into a poor family in southeastern Iran's Kerman province, General Soleimani started working at the age of 13 to help support his family. Soleimani emerged from the Iran-Iraq war a national hero for the cross-border covert missions he led with success.

For the last 20 years, he has survived several assassination attempts by western, Israeli and Arab agencies.

Mohammad Marandi, head of the American Studies at the University of Tehran, told al-Jazeera that Soleimani's role in helping defeat ISIL make him a "national hero" and a "martyr" among the Iranian people and other West Asian countries. "If it wasn't for people like him, this region would have seen black flags (Read ISIS) flying across the region,” he said.

General Soleimani’s assassination is seen as the most serious escalation between Iran and the United States in many years. Experts believe retaliation on Tehran’s part is inevitable.