It is the section established for the cross-border activities of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Army (IRGC), which was established in 1979 to protect and export the ideals of the Iranian revolution. It receives its orders directly from the supreme leader of Iran. Members of the army are trained in field warfare, irregular warfare operations and intelligence. After the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, who has been leading the army since 1997, Ismail Ghaani has been appointed as of January 3, 2020. The Quds Force has so far played an active role in the Iran-Iraq war, providing training and weapons to extremist groups, including Iraqi rebels, Hezbollah (Lebanon) and others. The army has shown great activity in mobilizing the Shiite opposition groups in Iraq by financing and arming when the stability vacuum created after the US invasion of Iraq arose, and in expanding Iran's regional sphere of influence by carrying out important activities including support to the Syrian regime forces during the Syrian civil war. . Sources: Glossary of Security Terms, The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington – What Iran's Military Journals Reveal About the Goals of the Quds Force, Counter Extremism Project - IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), Nicholas A. Heras – Iraq's Fifth Column: Iran's Proxy network