Top commander's assassination leaves Iran with very few options to retaliate
Following Qasem Soleimani's assassination in Iraq, there has been heightened concern about an Iranian reaction. But due to Tehran's economic hardship, decreased support from the public in Middle East societies and international isolation, Iran isn't likely to seek revenge militarily against the United States.
Not only Iraqis, but the whole world was shocked by the assassination of the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, and his right-hand man, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was the deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). This event, without a doubt, will change the map of conflict in the region.
The attack took place around 1 a.m. on Jan. 3 near the Baghdad International Airport. Soleimani had just arrived in Baghdad and had gotten into a vehicle, but his convoy was struck by drones before it had left the airport grounds. Soleimani, Muhandis and six other PMU figures were killed immediately.
A few hours later, the IRGC announced that four other IRGC generals were killed in the attack as well.
This presence of this number of important people altogether indicates that they had been planning something very big, probably against the US after the latter attack on PMU bases in northern Iraq and Syria. This was what US officials confirmed as well. US President Donal Trump said "We took action last night to stop a war" and Lindsey Graham, one of Trump's main congressional advisers, called the operation a "preemptive, defensive strike planned to take out the organizer of attacks yet to come."
