Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport on the orders of President Donald Trump.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” for the killing of Qasem Soleimani”s calling him a martyr.
“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,” Khamenei said on Twitter.
“His efforts & path won’t be stopped by his martyrdom, by God’s Power, rather a #SevereRevenge awaits the criminals who have stained their hands with his & the other martyrs’ blood last night. Martyr Soleimani is an Intl figure of Resistance & all such people will seek revenge,” he said in his second tweet.
Calling Soleimani’s loss “bitter”, Khamenei further said that their Jihad of Resistance will continue with more motivation. “The continuing fight & ultimate victory will be more bitter for the murderers & criminals,” he said on Twitter.
Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport on the orders of President Donald Trump, who appears to have acted with an eye on both an expected move in the US Senate to impeach him and his re-election bid later this year.
Reports emanating from Tehran indicate that the Iranian government’s top leadership is already considering ways to retaliate to the killing of Soleimani, a general considered very close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Experts believe any retaliation could trigger a spiraling confrontation that could spread from Iraq and engulf the wider region.
The US Defence Department said it killed Soleimani because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”. It also accused Soleimani of approving the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.
Following Soleimani’s death, Trump tweeted an image of the US flag without any further explanation.
