Trump Assassination of Iranian General Soleimani - IRGC Counterstrike

[Windmill knight]

If this report is true, things have just escalated a few notches. Reuters cited the spokesman of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces as saying that the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, general Qassem Soleimani, was killed in an airstrike near Baghdad International Airport, along with senior leaders of the Iraqi Shia milita. According to Reuters, a Pentagon source confirmed the strike was carried out by the US:

Iran Quds Force commander killed in US strike on convoy at Baghdad airport

The head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, has been killed in a strike near Baghdad International Airport, along with senior leaders of the Iraqi Shia militia, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has confirmed.

www.rt.com

Soleimani was well known and a very senior figure within Iranian military. Indeed, a Democrat Senator is calling him "the second most powerfult person in Iran" on Twitter:

Chris Murphy
@ChrisMurphyCT

Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That’s not a question. The question is this - as reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?

 

[jsf]

This is really, really bad. Soleimani was a very important figure. It looks like a declaration of war.

 

[Windmill knight]

So both the Pentagon and Iran's Revolutionary Guards have confirmed that Soleimani was killed. "At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani," a Pentagon statement said.

Added: Trump's tweet from half an hour ago: an American flag.

 

[jsf]

Crazy indeed.

“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. He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq and over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week,” they added.

Prior to this statement, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted a picture of the American flag in response to the death of Soleimani.

Trump ordered assassination of Qassem Soleimani: Pentagon

BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:30 A.M.) - U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of Iran's Quds Force commander Major-General Qassem Soleimani,

www.almasdarnews.com

Press TV : Iran’s IRGC: General Soleimani martyred in strike by U.S. choppers on Baghdad airport

Commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Iraq's PMU deputy head assassinated in US strike

The director of public relations of pro-government Hashd al-Sha’abi forces has been killed after three Katyusha rockets fell on Baghdad International Airport.

www.presstv.com

Major General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have been killed in US airstrikes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

 

[flashgordonv]

Just seen the following:

Top Iranian general killed in US airstrike in Baghdad, Pentagon confirms

Iran's top commander Gen. Qassim Soleimani has been killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad, the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday night.

www.cnbc.com

The internet is awash with comments, from the bloodthirsty psychopaths like Lindsay Graham and ex ambassador McFaul who love it, to the thinking people who are wondering where Iran will respond.

That is the sort of action you take if you are really trying very hard toprovoke Iran. This time lets hope they don;t succeed. But I am not holding my breath

 

[flashgordonv]

Here is Caitlin Johnstone's take on it.

US Assassination Of Top Iranian Military Official May Ignite World War

The US has admitted to assassinating Iran’s most beloved military leader, General Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike which seems very…

medium.com

 

[Windmill knight]

Yes, we were commenting on that on the Iraq thread, but the event is so big that I think it does deserve its own thread. It's not looking good at all - Soleimani was a very senior commander, very popular as well, and the Pentagon confirmed this was ordered by Trump, who celebrated by posting a US flag on Twitter. Now, I'm afraid that Iran simply cannot sit and do nothing in the face of an unmistaken act of war. And even if it does nothing, there's a lot of militant groups and members of the population across the Middle East who will. I'm on the edge of my seat now.

 

[aragorn]

Yeah, this is really bad. Trump took the bait of the warmongers, and I’m really disappointed with him. Now Pelosi is saying how Trump’s action will escalate violence. Well, duh, she surely was in the know of how this was planned from the start. Wars have been started for less, but let’s hope that cooler heads will prevail.

 

[Border Dog]

well, it is customary for a certain degree of turmoil around Mr.President, so it suffer a (inner) impeach process and kill a (outer) iranian general (killer?).

What was a high-ranking Iranian military general doing in Iraq amid riots on the part of the population against the USA?

pehaps,
1. DEMs can be proud of the impeachment which will die on senate.
2. Trump supporters can be proud of economy and protection of US.

----
rivalry, resentment over nationalist issues, and economic differences led to the assassination of Archduke Francisco Ferdinando and his wife (Sofia) in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and thus began the first war.

The expansion of Germany's territorial domains to acquisition of power and resources (mainly raw materials), also desired by Italy and Japan, led to a second war.

I may be wrong, but Iraq (and Yemen) don't seem to be enough to start a third war, because Saudi Arabia and Israel refrain from taking direct against Iran, just to not provoke a local war between nations.

I think, who can make a mess there today is Turkey. Just a guess !

 

[Cosmos]

Wars have been started for less, but let’s hope that cooler heads will prevail.

I still think Trump starting a war is about the last thing he would do. I'll also stick to my bet that Trump will not start another war as long as he is in power, meaning if he will be reelected next year (which quite likely IMO); the likelihood of the US being pulled into another is quite a bit lower with this president compared to almost any other before. If Trump really ordered it in the way it panned out at the end (of which I wouldn't be so sure about) my strong guess is that this is just another move of appeasing the warhawks to prevent exactly that: another open war.

 

[Bluegazer]

Tremendous.
The scenario is repeated.

 

[Laura]

Yes, we were commenting on that on the Iraq thread, but the event is so big that I think it does deserve its own thread. It's not looking good at all - Soleimani was a very senior commander, very popular as well, and the Pentagon confirmed this was ordered by Trump, who celebrated by posting a US flag on Twitter. Now, I'm afraid that Iran simply cannot sit and do nothing in the face of an unmistaken act of war. And even if it does nothing, there's a lot of militant groups and members of the population across the Middle East who will. I'm on the edge of my seat now.

Me too. This is one of those things that makes one fairly certain that Trump has been coopted to the interests of the Deep State/Israel. He would freely criticize such warmongering before he was elected, and now, he finds he must support the very things that will probably destroy his administration.

 

[aragorn]

I still think Trump starting a war is about the last thing he would do. I'll also stick to my bet that Trump will not start another war as long as he is in power, meaning if he will be reelected next year (which quite likely IMO); the likelihood of the US being pulled into another is quite a bit lower with this president compared to almost any other before. If Trump really ordered it in the way it panned out at the end (of which I wouldn't be so sure about) my strong guess is that this is just another move of appeasing the warhawks to prevent exactly that: another open war.

I used to believe that, but things are getting out of Trump’s hands now. If and when Iran retaliates he is forced to respond. My guess is that the war hawks and Israelis provided him with distorted intel that made him do a wrong assessment. Plus, he’s always been eager to make a show of being a tough guy, so they used this Achilles heel of his (narcissism) to get him to do what they wanted.

 

[Joe]

I used to believe that, but things are getting out of Trump’s hands now. If and when Iran retaliates he is forced to respond. My guess is that the war hawks and Israelis provided him with distorted intel that made him do a wrong assessment. Plus, he’s always been eager to make a show of being a tough guy, so they used this Achilles heel of his (narcissism) to get him to do what they wanted.

I'd say that the Iranians are well aware of that, and the ability of the US to wipe them out in a few hours. More than anything else (like the fact that this attack was the work of Israel mostly), the killing of Soleimani sends a clear message to the Iranians that their strategy of low intensity conflict in Iraq and Syria aimed at removing the USA has been working. Naturally, clear heads would simply absorb this event and double down on the strategy that, according to the USA itself, is working very well.

 

[Laurentien2]

What a perfect set-up for another false flag. Everyone is expecting a reaction from Iran now, the press will make sure of that. Even if Iran don't retaliate, the seed is planted or will be and can be harvested when ever it suit them or their allies.