Iran backed Hezbollah killed an American contractor. Iranian backed militia appeared ready to try and breach the US Embassy (until the Marines showed up). Now we’ve got a report of a rocket attack that killed four at the Baghdad airport. Two of the victims are high-ranking Iranian leaders.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Gen. Qassim Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport Friday, Iraqi television and three Iraqi officials said.
The strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, the officials said.
Their deaths are a potential turning point in the Middle East and are expected to draw severe retaliation from Iran and the forces it backs in the Middle East against Israel and American interests.
The US has not taken credit for the strike as I write this, but that seems irrelevant. Escalation is inevitable. Iran appears to want this, but why? And why now? Test Trump or trouble Trump? Shooting wars are a messy business. But politically, it could be useful for Democrats if it’s messy.
And?
A lot of “high-ranking” US Democrats have spent time since the election of Mr. Trump consulting with high-ranking Iranians. The Premise was saving the Iran deal, but I can’t imagine they were discussing ways to make relations better. I’m inclined to think they were encouraging opportunities to make them worse.
Make Trump look bad, get a Democrat in 2021 and, boom, new phone, and Pen Democrat executive-orders the rebirth of the Iran Deal.
Just make sure you blame Trump for pulling out of the Iran deal. Or, something like that.
Does Hillary have her own Drones?
