World War 3 alarm was reignited after Iranian General Qassim Soleimani was killed in an airstrike the US launched in response to Monday’s siege of their Baghdad Embassy. The attack prompted Iran’s Supreme Leader to threaten retaliation for the killing, warning Washington to expect a “crushing revenge” for the death of Iran’s second-most-powerful military commander. Footage shared online by Israeli journalist Amichai Stein captured the aftermath of the attack, showing the convoy carrying General Soleimani on fire.
The video shows remains of what appear to be several cars burning out, the flames engulfing the vehicles. The eerie silence at the scene is only interrupted by the voice of the person recording the video supposedly commenting in Arabic.
The attack sparked the immediate reaction of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Twitter, who wrote on Twitter: “Dear Iranian Nation! Years of sincere, brave efforts fighting against the devils& villainous in the world & yrs of wishing for martyrdom on the path of God finally took the dear Commander of Islam, Soleimani, to this lofty status. His blood was shed by the most barbaric of men.
“We congratulate Imam Mahdi (‘a.j.) & Soleimani’s pure soul& condole the Iranian nation on this great martyrdom. He was an eminent example of a person trained in Islam. He spent all his life in struggling for God. Martyrdom was the reward for his tireless efforts over the years.”
Soleimani was known to have led proxy militias with the purpose of extending the Islamic Republic’s influence across the Middle East. Ayatollah Khamenei warned US President Donald Trump, who authorised the strike, to prepare for “severe retaliation”.
Iran declared three days of mourning for the country to pay tribute to their general but the news of his death was however welcomed by some Iraqis, with videos shared online showing large groups of people parading down the streets of Baghdad carrying Iraq’s flag and celebrating the killing of Soleimani.
The Pentagon confirmed overnight the strike was carried out “at the direction of the president.”
In a statement released after the attack, the US Department of Defense said: “The US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qassem Soleimani.
“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.”
The statement claimed the Iranian commander had “orchestrated” several attacks on US bases in Iraq over the past months and insisted the strike would deter Tehran from further hostilities.
The DoD added: “This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.
“The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said Donald Trump had “tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox” with the targeted killing of Iran’s top general in an airstrike in Baghdad.
The former vice president joined other Democratic White House hopefuls in criticising Mr Trump’s order, saying it could leave the US “on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East”.