US strike on Iranian military leader sparks escalation fears - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Jack Detsch

Jack Detsch

Jan 2, 2020

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani uses a walkie-talkie at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. Picture taken March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT POLITICS) - GM1EB3I1GO301 — Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani uses a walkie-talkie at the front line during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province, March 8, 2015. — REUTERS/Stringer

President Donald Trump authorized a US strike that killed the influential Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in Iraq early Friday morning, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Describing the move as a “decisive defensive action,” the Pentagon insisted that the strike was aimed at deterring Iran from launching future attacks after an Iraqi proxy group fired rockets at a US base in Kirkuk and Iran-backed demonstrators breached the US Embassy grounds in Baghdad.

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