Khamenei Senior Advisor: Soleimani Established 82 Brigades in Syria, Iraq

In this file photo, Iran's Khamenei is seen greeting Soleimani (C) and Safavi (R).
In this file photo, Iran's Khamenei is seen greeting Soleimani (C) and Safavi (R).
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Khamenei Senior Advisor: Soleimani Established 82 Brigades in Syria, Iraq

In this file photo, Iran's Khamenei is seen greeting Soleimani (C) and Safavi (R).
In this file photo, Iran's Khamenei is seen greeting Soleimani (C) and Safavi (R).

Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said that late Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani had succeeded in establishing 82 fighting brigades in each of Syria and Iraq.

The taskforces, according to Safavi, include fighters from multiple nationalities.

Making his remarks at a press conference on the one-year anniversary since Soleimani’s killing in a US drone strike near Baghdad, Safavi confirmed that 60 brigades that are 70,000 fighters strong were established in Syria.

Multinational militias fighting under the banner of the Quds Force, Iran’s arm for foreign operations, are believed to make up the backbone of Soleimani’s brigades.

During the course of its involvement in Syria, Iran has managed to establish the Liwa Fatemiyoun (Fatimid Banner), comprised of Shiites from Afghanistan, Liwa Zainebiyoun (Zainab Brigade), comprised of Shiites from Pakistan, and Liwa Heydariyoun, comprised of Shiites from Iraq.

Safavi described his country's move to establish dozens of armed militias across the region as “converting the threat into an opportunity, under the strategic management of the Soleimani school.”

He noted that the presence of these militias alongside conventional armies in Iraq and Syria presented a “difficult challenge, but Soleimani showed flexibility in that area.”

In his address, the senior adviser recounted Soleimani’s role in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon and in fighting the US and its allies in the region.

He also pointed out that Soleimani had conducted “strategic” diplomatic discussions with the heads of states in Russia, Turkey, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Safavi also reaffirmed Iran’s determination to stage operations against US presence in the region, identifying the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to western Asia and South America as a “resistance front.”

He urged younger generations to adopt Soleimani's school of thought, claiming: “The Soleimani school has caused a political and military defeat for US in the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.”



Trump to Undergo 1st Physical Examination of his Second Term

US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025.  EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL
US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025. EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL
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Trump to Undergo 1st Physical Examination of his Second Term

US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025.  EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL
US President Donald J. Trump (L) responds to a question from the news media during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 April 2025. EPA/SHAWN THEW / POOL

Donald Trump, the oldest person to assume the US presidency, is set to undergo his first physical examination of his second term on Friday.
Trump, who turns 79 in June, is known for his love of fast food but often talks about his robust physical and mental health.
"I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!" Trump wrote in a post on the Truth Social platform on Monday, announcing the planned exam.
The White House did not respond to queries about the exam and what would be included, Reuters reported.
The physical could offer the first clear look at Trump's condition since his ear was grazed by a bullet in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last July. His campaign released a report by Ronny Jackson, Trump's former White House doctor, saying the injuries were superficial.
The White House typically determines what data will be released from a president's health exam. Trump is not compelled to release any information, and there is no template for the presidential exam. Trump released only limited information about his health during his presidential campaigns.
During the 2024 election, Trump drew sharp contrasts with his predecessor, Joe Biden, now 82, claiming he was younger and fitter.
A White House doctor said in 2018 when Trump was serving his first term that he was in overall excellent health but needed to shed weight and start a daily exercise routine.
Trump included a cognitive exam, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, as part of his physical during his first term, and his doctor later said he scored 30 out of 30.
Biden released detailed summaries of his physical exams while in office, but several books published in recent months have raised questions about his mental acuity in his final months in the White House.
The mental ability and age of both Biden and Trump were in focus during last year's election campaign, especially after Biden's disastrous performance in a debate with Trump in June, and Trump's increasingly rambling speeches at rallies.