United States airstrike on Thursday night leaves notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani & the Deputy Secretary of Hezbollah in Lebanon dead; Soleimani was responsible for the recruitment of countless terror proxies throughout the Middle East; This comes just days after Trump’s adamant threat to Iran for their organized raid on the US embassy in Baghdad.
On Thursday night, a US airstrike on an enemy vehicle leaving the Baghdad International Airport. Hours later, it was revealed that approximately six people were killed, including at least three Iranians, including the notorious commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani. This news is unprecedented, and it doesn’t stop there. Additionally, the deputy secretary for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Nail Qassem, died.
This strike comes only days after United States President Donald Trump vowed to respond strongly to the Iranian-orchestrated raid on the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. In his tweet the day of the raid, Trump stated that what he vowed was not a warning, but a threat. The implications of this strike cannot be overstated. When you account for the devastating economic sanctions the US has implemented on Iran and now the killing of two beyond significant leaders, you can see a serious escalation on the horizon.
The Pentagon verified the death of Soleimani, stating, “At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.” The statement from the Pentagon continued in stating that “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more.”
[UPDATE 1/3]: On Friday, January 3, it was revealed that a US drone was responsible for the airstrike, not helicopters as originally reported.
