A war looms in ME again: US strike kills top Iranian commander in Baghdad

BAGHDAD: The threat of a war in the Middle East (ME) looms large again after a top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed on Friday in a US strike on Baghdad’s international airport.

Iran and the US confirmed it, the most dramatic episode yet of escalating tensions between the two countries. The Pentagon said US President Donald Trump ordered Soleimani’s "killing”, after a pro-Iran mob this week laid siege to the US embassy. Trump said that Qasem Soleimani "should have been taken out many years ago" as he was directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions.

The American president took to Twitter hours after Soleimani was killed in a US strike at an international airport in Baghdad, to say that the Iranian general should have been killed several years ago.

President Trump said Qasem Soleimani was "terminated" when he was on the verge of attacking US diplomats, but he insisted that Washington was not seeking to topple Iran’s government.

“Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him,” Trump said in a statement before television cameras in Florida. While referring to the Iranian military mastermind as “sick,” Trump attempted to lower tensions by insisting that he does not want war with Iran. “We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war,” he said, adding: “We do not seek regime change.”

Also, US Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Friday defended President Donald Trump’s decision to kill Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, saying on Twitter that the military leader had been attempting to take control of Iraq and use it as aplatform to attack the United States. "At the direction of Iran’s supreme leader, Soleimani was plotting a coup in Iraq," Rubio wrote on Twitter, without citing sources. "He was corrupting/threatening politicians, exploiting Iraq's resources & bringing a large military force loyal to him, in an effort to make Iraq a platform to attack the US & our allies."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo posted a video on Twitter on Thursday saying Iraqis "dancing in the street" over the killing of Qasem Soleimani by the US. "Iraqis — Iraqis — dancing in the street for freedom; thankful that General Soleimani is no more," Pompeo wrote, alongside footage of scores of people running along a road waving what appeared to be Iraqi flags and other banners.

Republican lawmakers quickly spoke out Thursday in strong support of President Trump’s attack that killed Soleimani, as Congress complained it received no advance notice of the strike. The White House traditionally gives warning to senior members of both parties in the Senate and House of Representatives ahead of major military action. But House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel said in a statement that the strike "went forward with no notification or consultation with Congress."

The high praise from the right stood in stark contrast to reaction from Democrats, who severely criticised Trump’s latest move in a sign of Washington’s polarisation ahead of this year’s presidential elections. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the killing risks provoking a "dangerous escalation of violence".

"President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox," his presidential rival Joe Biden said. "Iran will surely respond. We could be on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East."

The State Department on Friday told US citizens to leave Iraq "immediately". "Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, we urge US citizens to depart Iraq immediately," the State Department tweeted.

"Due to Iranian-backed militia attacks at the US Embassy compound, all consular operations are suspended. US citizens should not approach the Embassy." Declaring three days of mourning across the country, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to take "severe revenge" for Soleimani’s death.

"Martyrdom was the reward for his ceaseless efforts in all these years," Khamenei said on his Farsi-language Twitter account in reference to Soleimani.

"With him gone, God willing, his work and his path will not be stopped, but severe revenge awaits the criminals who bloodied their foul hands with his blood and other martyrs’ in last night’s incident".

Iran and the "free nations of the region" will take revenge on the United States for killing Qasem Soleimani, President Hasan Rouhani said Friday. "There is no doubt that the great nation of Iran and the other free nations of the region will take revenge for this gruesome crime from criminal America," Rouhani said in a statement posted on the Iranian government website.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tehran to protest against American "crimes", an AFP correspondent reported. Chanting "Death to America" and holding up posters of the slain commander Qasem Soleimani, the demonstrators filled streets for several blocks in central Tehran after Friday prayers. State news agency IRNA said there were similar demonstrations in the cities of Arak, Bojnourd, Hamedan, Hormozgan, Sanandaj, Semnan, Shiraz, and Yazd.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said: "Islamabad viewed with deep concern the recent developments in the Middle East, which seriously threaten peace and stability in the region. Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity are the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, which should be adhered to. It is also important to avoid unilateral actions and use of force."

Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, emphasised "need for maximum restraint and constructive engagement" following the killing of top Iranian commander. Taking to Twitter, Pompeo shared that he had reached out to officials from multiple countries, including Bajwa, German Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. "Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa and I spoke today about US defensive action to kill Qasem Soleimani," shared Pompeo on Twitter, adding the "Iran regime's actions in the region are destabilising and our resolve in protecting American interests, personnel, facilities, and partners will not waver".

Shortly after, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) via Twitter confirmed that the two had spoken. "COAS received telephone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Regional situation including possible implications of recent escalation in Middle East was discussed.

"COAS emphasised need for maximum restraint and constructive engagement by all concerned to de-escalate the situation in broader interest of peace and stability," said the army's media wing in another tweet. "COAS also reiterated the need for maintaining focus on success of Afghan peace process."

Saudi Arabia has also called for restraint after the killing of Iranian Gen Qasem Soleimani. The Kingdom said the events in Iraq were the result of previous "terrorist acts" and that Saudi Arabia had warned of their repercussions. "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has followed the events, in fraternal Iraq, which came as a result of the escalation of tensions and terrorist acts that Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has denounced and warned against, in the past, of their repercussions.

"With knowledge of the operations and threats exposing the security of the region and the threats posed by terrorist militias that require their cessation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in light of the rapid developments, calls for the importance of self-restraint to ward off all acts that may lead to aggravating the situation, with unbearable consequences.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirms that the international community must fulfil its responsibilities to take the necessary measures to ensure the security and stability of such a vital region, to the entire world."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke on the phone with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) about the airstrikes at Baghdad airport.

Early Friday, a volley of missiles hit Baghdad’s international airport, striking a convoy belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iraqi paramilitary force with close ties to Iran. Just a few hours later, the Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Soleimani "was martyred in an attack by America on Baghdad airport this morning."

The Hashed confirmed both Soleimani and its deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed in what it said was a "US strike that targeted their car on the Baghdad International Airport road." The Hashed is a network of mostly armed units, many of whom have close ties to Tehran but which have been officially incorporated into Iraq’s state security forces.

The units joined forces to fight the Islamic State group in 2014, after many of them built up years of fighting experience during Iraq’s war years, including against the US.

Muhandis was the Hashed’s deputy chief but widely recognised as the real shot-caller within the group. Soleimani headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and also served as Iran’s pointman on Iraq, visiting the country in times of turmoil. Both were sanctioned by the United States. The Pentagon said Soleimani had been "actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region." It said it took "decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani," but did not specify how.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the US strike as "extremely dangerous and a foolish escalation." Top official Mohsen Rezai pledged to "exact terrible vengeance upon America," and Tehran’s top security council said it would hold an urgent meeting.

Iraq’s caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said the US strike would "spark a devastating war".

"The assassination of an Iraqi military commander in an official post is an aggression against the country of Iraq, its state, its government and its people," he said.

It was a "flagrant violation of the conditions authorising the presence of US troops" on Iraqi soil.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) military alliance was monitoring the situation in Iraq closely on Friday, with an eye to the safety of its training mission there. Nato maintains a limited presence in Iraq to train government security forces and the alliance was not involved in the attack on Soleimani at Baghdad international airport.

"NATO is monitoring the situation in the region very closely. We remain in close and regular contact with the US authorities," spokesperson Dylan White said.

There was no immediate reaction from Iraqi officials on the strike. "In terms of a decapitation strike, what just happened is the most major decapitation strike that the US has ever pulled off," said Phillip Smyth, a US-based specialist in armed groups.

He told AFP it would have "bigger" ramifications than the 2011 US operation that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and the 2019 American raid that killed Islamic State group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "There is no comparison," he added.

US entrepreneur and Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang wrote on Twitter that "war with Iran is the last thing we need and is not the will of the American people. "We should be acting to deescalate tensions and protect our people in the region."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Greece and flew home Friday as Lebanon's Hezbollah demanded revenge for the killing of a top Iranian commander in a US strike.

A source in Netanyahu's office said that the premier was returning from Athens but did not elaborate. Netanyahu praised Trump "for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively" to eliminate the general. "Just as Israel has the right of self-defence, the United States has exactly the same right."

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said in a statement: "Meting out the appropriate punishment to these criminal assassins... will be the responsibility and task of all resistance fighters worldwide."

Meanwhile, China on Friday appealed for restraint from all sides, "especially the United States", after Soleimani was killed. "We urge the relevant sides, especially the United States, to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalating tensions," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing.

Also, British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab on Friday urged all parties to de-escalate after the US killed Major-General Qasem Soleimani. “We have always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led by Qasem Soleimani. Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests,” he said in an emailed statement.

Meanwhile, Sky News, without citing a source, reported that Britain has increased its security and readiness at military bases in the Middle East. Britain has about 400 military personnel in Iraq, who help provide training in the country. They are mostly located at Taji base, north of Baghdad.

Also, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday the "world cannot afford" another Gulf war, following the killing of Iran’s top military commander. "The secretary-general has consistently advocated for de-escalation in the Gulf," a spokesman for Guterres said in a statement. "This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint. The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said "this action can seriously aggravate the situation in the region", according to a Kremlin readout of a phone conversation with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee of parliament’s upper house, said on Facebook the killing was a mistake that would strike back at Washington. "Retaliatory strikes will certainly follow."

The foreign ministry in neighbouring India said: "We have noted that a senior Iranian leader has been killed by the US. The increase in tension has alarmed the world."

"It is manifest that the operation carried out by the US will increase insecurity and instability in the region... Turkey has always been against any foreign intervention in the region, assassinations and sectarian conflicts," the foreign ministry said.

"We have woken up to a more dangerous world," France’s Europe Minister Amelie de Montchalin told French radio.

"In such operations, when we can see an escalation is under way, what we want above all is stability and de-escalation.

"Our role is not to take sides, but to talk with everyone." The Netherlands also urged de-escalation. "It is of great importance that tranquillity is preserved in the region. Nobody benefits from further escalation," tweeted Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok whose country has taken part in the anti-IS coalition since 2014. Syria is "certain that this cowardly US aggression... will only strengthen determination to follow in the path of the resistance’s martyred leaders," a foreign ministry official said, according to state news agency SANA.

The official said the killings were "a serious escalation" and accused the US of resorting to "the methods of criminal gangs".

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday sung the praise of slain Qasem Soleimani, who played a key role in saving his regime in the nearly nine-year-old Syrian conflict. The Syrian people "will not forget that he stuck by the side of the Syrian Arab army", Assad said in a letter of condolences sent to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.