Iranian officials vowed to retaliate after the airstrike launched early Friday near Baghdad International Airport. Defense Department officials said in a statement Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region,” prompting Friday’s airstrike.
General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. https://t.co/Me5DMvMgSp
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2020
Iraqi officials said Soleimani died in the strike, as did Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, and five others.
“The full Congress must be immediately briefed on this serious situation and on the next steps under consideration by the Administration, including the significant escalation of the deployment of additional troops to the region,” Pelosi said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told lawmakers Friday that a briefing was being planned for key Senate staffers with a classified briefing to senators to follow next week, CNN reported.
"I recommend all senators wait to review the facts and hear from (the White House) before passing much of a judgment on this operation and its potential consequences," he said, according to the news network.
An aide told CNN that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., expected to be briefed on the situation Friday.
“The architect and chief engineer for the world most active state sponsor of terrorism has been removed from the battlefield,” said Senator Mitch McConnell of the death of Qassem Soleimani pic.twitter.com/wTePlmsQYv
— QuickTake by Bloomberg (@QuickTake) January 3, 2020
The dramatic attack comes at the start of a year in which Trump faces both a Senate trial following his impeachment by the U.S. House and a re-election campaign. It marks a potential turning point in the Middle East and represents a drastic change for American policy toward Iran after months of tensions.
Tehran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and seized oil tankers. The U.S. also blames Iran for a series of attacks targeting tankers, as well as a September assault on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry that temporarily halved its production.
The tensions take root in Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor, Barack Obama.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author