ABSTRACT
Iran’s links with Shiite Arabs in Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere have deep historical roots. Iran currently seeks hegemonic power among these Shiites as well as among quasi-Shiites in Syria and Yemen. The Revolutionary Guards Quds Force under Qasem Soleimani has been spearheading this effort ever since the 2003 US invasion and occupation of Iraq opened the gates of the mainly Sunni Arab Levant to Iranian force projection. By 2019 Iranian forces and proxies in Syria and Lebanon were in open confrontation with Israel.
