Circle the area on this map
A. Shiite clerics are in charge of the theocratic government in Iran, the largest Shia Muslim majority nation. The Islamic State are Sunni extremists with a self-proclaimed mission to kill apostate Muslims, including Shiites. A dispute over who would succeed Prophet Muhammad led to the Shia-Sunni schism and centuries of conflict.
B. Suleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike near Iraq’s Baghdad Airport on Jan. 3, 2020. He was Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, and he was behind hundreds of American deaths in Iraq and waves of militia attacks against Israel. He had been designated as a terrorist by both the United States and Israel in 2010.
D. Houthi forces have attacked cargo ships with drones, missiles, and boats at the southern end of the Red Sea. They said they were attacking ships coming or going to Israel, which is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. and its allies have blocked Houthi attacks but not struck bases in Yemen to avoid a wider Mideast war.
C. Hezbollah is a potent political and military force in deeply divided Lebanon. While it recently fired at Israel, Hezbollah does not appear eager for an all-out war. Iran and its client militias, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, call for the destruction of Israel. Some Arab nations, including Egypt and Jordan, have recognized the Israeli government.