Qassem Soleimani
The new forces are reportedly being deployed to Iraq, Kuwait and other parts of the region.
In a major shift, the United States adopts a preemptive action against Tehran and one of its most powerful leaders, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who had over the years built a multinational terror army, implementing the supreme leader’s radical hegemonic plans.
Brig. Gen. Esmail Ghaani succeeded Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani as deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force in 1997 when Soleimani was tapped as its chief leader.
“[Qassem] Soleimani is responsible for the deaths of innocent U.S. citizens and many others. He was planning further attacks,” said the Israeli prime minister.
“He was key to the growth of Hezbollah and other terrorist groups,” said Republican Jewish Coalition chairman and former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman. “It is difficult to overstate the role he played in Iran’s bloodiest operations around the region. His death makes the world a safer place.”
The commander of Iran’s Quds Force is more than a military leader, say Israeli observers. Active from Lebanon to Yemen, he is responsible for stirring up powerful “antibodies” in the region.
The apparent target was commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
“We’re living in a much more complicated reality, which is only getting worse. We are starting to approach the level of war,” says IDF Military Intelligence Research Division head Dror Shalom.
Israeli Minister Tzachi Hanegbi: There is a “deep struggle” underway in Iran over the country’s efforts to entrench itself in Syria; Israel publicized the latest strike to strengthen these voices.
Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani said in a speech that aired on IRINN TV (Iran) on Feb. 22 that the spreading of the culture of jihad and martyrdom has “unique and positive implications on moral, religious and national aspects.”
Kuwaiti daily: “IRGC Qods Force commander Soleimani’s visit in southern Syria sparked conflict with Israel; Soleimani said Russia had given Iran advance notice about Iranian targets in Syria that Israel would attack.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu replied to an unverified Kuwaiti news report that Soleimani told Iranian leaders that attacks against Israel could lead to his defeat in the April 9 elections.
