The vision in Daniel 11 is related to the king of the south (Egypt) and the king of the north (Syria). Chapter eleven is a record of the fighting of these kings with each other.
Verses 2b and 3 speak of the fighting of the last king of the kingdom of Persia against the kingdom of Greece and the defeat of Persia by the mighty king of Greece, Alexander the Great, about 356-323 B.C. (8:5-8a, 20-21; 7:5-6a). The death of Belshazzar in 538 B.C. marked the end of the Babylonian Empire and the beginning of the Medo-Persian Empire, which lasted until 336 B.C. The last king of this empire was defeated by Alexander the Great.
Daniel 11:4, referring to Alexander the Great, says, "But once he arises, his kingdom will be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom will be plucked up and given to others besides his descendants." This indicates that, after the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided into four parts (8:8b, 22; 7:6b) under the rule of his four generals: the kingdoms of Ptolemy (Egypt), of Cassander (Macedonia), of Lysimachus (Asia Minor), and of Seleucus (Syria).
Daniel 11:5-20 speaks of the wars back and forth between the king of the south—Egypt—and the king of the north—Syria. As these kings fought each other, they passed through Israel. Thus, Israel was in distress. The great distress mentioned in 10:1 refers mainly to the wars in chapter eleven.