Iran's top general Soleimani killed in US strike

While Qasem Soleimani was seen by the Americans as a key adversary involved in plotting attacks against their allies and assets, it is important to remember the role both he and Iran played in the fight against ISIS.

While US aircraft, special forces and local allies fought ISIS in Syria, as well as in Iraq, Iranian-backed militia also pushed the terror group back in Iraq. Soleimani was reported to have often led that fight from the front line. Iran saw the radical Sunni militant group as a threat too, but was probably also cognizant of the leverage it received by helping Iraq defeat ISIS.

Whether you endorse or condemn his actions, Soleimani was among the most influential figures in the Middle East of the past decade.

His death -- and the consequences of this stark US attack -- will weigh heavily on the next 10 years in the region.

The US airstrike at Baghdad International Airport that killed key Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani was a "target of opportunity," according to a US official.

The strike had presidential authorization, the source said. They opted for a pre-emptive strike after previous moves of maximum pressure didn't change Iran's pattern of behavior, the official said.

The killing of Soleimani, one of the most powerful men in Iran and the wider region, is an audacious and unexpected move that marks a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran that can be traced back to Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

It also comes just hours after the Pentagon issued a strong warning to Iran-backed militias amid concerns they may conduct further provocations against the US following their attempt to storm the US embassy in Baghdad.

Read more here.

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has described the US airstrike as an "act of international terrorism."

In a tweet posted from his official account, Zarif also described the act -- which killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani -- as "extremely dangerous and a foolish escalation."

"The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism,” he added.

It's difficult to convey just how revered Qasem Soleimani is in Iran.

To the United States, Soleimani -- who was killed in Friday's strike -- was the head of a terrorist organization.

But to people in Iran, Soleimani looms larger than almost any other figure. He's seen as brave -- and troops love him.

He's also been the mastermind of Iran's policies in Syria and Iraq.

More here:

Images released by the Iraqi government show the devastation following the deadly airstrike outside Baghdad International Airport.

The strike killed Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force unit -- among others.

According to the Iraqi military, three rockets struck near the air cargo hall. A number of citizens were also wounded.

The fact that today's strike happened on Iraqi soil is significant, according to Feisal Istrabadi, the founding director of the Indiana University Center for the Study of the Middle East.

According to Istrabadi, the Iraqi government will be considerably weakened by that. "There will be an opportunity for the destabilization of the country," he told CNN. "This is a huge deal throughout the Middle East.

"The fact that it was done over the territory of Iraq means that Iraq will become what I feared it would become from the beginning: the battleground between Iran and the United States."

He questioned what America's plan was for keeping Iraq stable after this strike.

"I fear they do not have one," he said.

Watch his analysis here:

US President Donald Trump hasn't put out a written statement following the strike.

But after news of the strike in Baghdad broke, Trump tweeted a picture of the American flag.

Republican politicians have responded positively to the attacks, thanking Trump for standing up for America. But Democrats have questioned whether today's action could lead to war.

See Trump's tweet here:

Today's strike doesn't come out of the blue.

This week, PMF supporters and members attempted to storm the US embassy in Baghdad.

On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the US “will take preemptive action” if they detect an attack is imminent. 

He told reporters that Iranian-backed forces “may do” additional provocations against US interests and if they do, “they will likely regret it."

The two men confirmed dead in today's strike were both key military leaders.

Qasem Soleimani was the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force unit. The US considers the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization.

According to the Pentagon, Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members, and the wounding of thousands more, the Pentagon added. The Pentagon also blamed Soleimani for orchestrating attacks on coalition bases in Iraq in recent months, including an attack on December 27 that culminated in the deaths of additional American and Iraqi personnel.

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was the deputy head of the Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF is a Shia paramilitary force made up of former militias with close ties to Iran. It was recognized under a 2016 Iraqi law as an independent military force that answers directly to the prime minister.