The death of the Iranian general in Baghdad on the orders of Donald Trump will have significant consequences throughout the Middle East and far beyond.
General Ghassem Soleimani, head of the al-Quds force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, was killed in a U.S. air strike on Friday, January 3, 2020. His convoy was bombed at the airport of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on the orders of President Donald Trump, the Pentagon reports. Abu Mahdi al-Mouhandis, commander of an Iraqi militia backed by Iran, was also killed along with eight other people.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense statement, the attack was “a defensive measure to protect U.S. personnel abroad. »
In fact, on December 31, 2019, an angry mob of Iraqis hostile to the US presence on their soil attacked the US embassy in Baghdad. A few days earlier, rockets hit an American base near Kirkuk in northern Iraq, as well as several other coalition bases.
For the Americans, there is no doubt. It is the Iranian militias that are at work. Hence the reprisals against both Iraqis and Iranians.
The key man
Ghassem Soleimani, 62, is a military man renowned for his bravery. A former commander of the Revolutionary Guards in his home region, he has participated in many conflicts, notably against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
In 1998, Ghassem Soleimani took command of the Al-Quds Force, a secret military group for extraterritorial intervention. In 2006, he was in Lebanon during the conflict with Israel. He works on behalf of the Shiites in the Middle East. In 2014, he is in Musul. Later, in 2019, he intervenes with Iraqi security officials.
In the course of his career, General Ghassem Soleimani has become the key man of Iranian influence in the Middle East.
“A stick of dynamite”
The “assassination” of Soleimani provoked an immense emotion in Iran but also in the whole region. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, promised “terrible revenge” for the criminals. Three days of national mourning have been decreed.
In the United States, the reactions are diverse. Senator Chris Murphy tweets: America has assassinated, without congressional authorization, the second personality of Iran consciously provoking a massive regional war. »
“President Trump has just thrown a stick of dynamite into a powder keg and he owes the American people an explanation,” said former Vice President Joe Biden.
Moscow condemns without appeal. “The assassination of Soleimani (…) is a risky step that will lead to increased tensions in the region. “Beijing” calls for calm and restraint. »
The American attack is condemned around the world. Because the consequences are not yet measurable. The price of a barrel immediately rose by 4%, the London stock exchange fell, Tsahal, the Israeli army, ordered the closure of a ski resort on the Hermon, fearing reprisals.
The death of General Ghassem Soleimani revived hostilities throughout the Middle East. No one can say, at this hour, how far the escalation between the United States and Iran will stop. But this death does not bode well for the future and world peace.
Thank you, Mr Trump!