Azzam Tamimi, Middle East Eye: The assassination of Soleimani and al-Muhandis, the most likely scenario
Iran's provocations of the US were aimed at undermining Iraq's protest movement, but it did not expect to lose one of its most important military figures
According to several news reports, just before his assassination at around dawn on Friday, Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, had been planning to wage a series of attacks on US targets within Syria and Iraq.
It would seem, according to these reports, that Soleimani's aim, and the aim of those who stand behind him in Tehran's regime – perhaps also the aim of their subordinates in Iraq - was to initiate a limited escalation against the United States.
The assumption was that such an escalation would soon be contained once the Iraqi political landscape had been preoccupied with a more serious event than the popular protest movement that seemed to direct its wrath against Iranian intervention in Iraq.
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Commentaries, Analysis, and Editorials On The Assassination Of Soleimani
US killing of Soleimani: what we know -- AFP
Waist deep and sinking in the Middle East: We're now at war with Iran -- James Pardew, The Hill
‘A more dangerous world’: US killing triggers global alarm -- John Leicester, AP
The US, Iran, and the fallout of Soleimani's assassination -- Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera
Killing Soleimani: Trump acted where other US leaders saw big risks -- AFP
Fears grow of bloody reprisal after Qassem Suleimani assassination -- Martin Chulov, Julian Borger and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, The Guardian
Fear Hits Tehran Over What Might Come Next -- Rodney Jefferson, Bloomberg
Iran Will Respond: Here Are Some Thoughts On "How" -- Zero Hedge
After Suleimani, Iran will hit back hard – possibly on multiple fronts -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian
US, Iran on precipice of unpredictable Middle East war -- Chase Winter, DW
After Suleimani, Iran will hit back hard – possibly on multiple fronts -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian
‘A more dangerous world’: US killing of Iran's Soleimani stokes fears of regional conflict -- Benjamin Dodman, France 24
Trump's Pyrrhic victory -- Rainer Hermann, DW
Why America and Iran hate each other -- Monique Ross and Annabelle Quince, ABC News Online
Young Iraqis Aren’t Sad Soleimani Is Dead. But They Worry They’ll Pay the Price -- Hind Hassan, Vice
