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| Live updates: 3,500 additional U.S. troops headed to Mideast as Iran threatens retaliation | Live updates: 3,500 additional U.S. troops headed to Mideast as Iran threatens retaliation |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The Pentagon said that it will deploy 3,500 additional troops to the Middle East after Iran vowed to exact “severe revenge” on the United States after a drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, one of the country’s top military figures, early Friday near the Baghdad airport. | |
| The targeted killing of Soleimani, a powerful figure among forces aligned with Iran’s Islamic Republic throughout the Middle East, increased tensions in the region and caused U.S. outposts and personnel to brace for retaliatory attacks. The attack also upset global markets and sent oil prices shooting upward. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad warned Americans in Iraq to leave “immediately.” | |
| Iranian militias allied with Iran had been harassing U.S. forces in Iraq over recent weeks, including one attack on a base that killed a U.S. contractor. The United States has said that Soleimani was killed as he was planning new attacks and that President Trump ordered the attack. | |
| Here are key points of what we know: | |
| • Soleimani was a towering figure who was key in training Iran’s proxies around the region, especially in Iraq. | • Soleimani was a towering figure who was key in training Iran’s proxies around the region, especially in Iraq. |
| • There has been mixed reaction across the Middle East, with some praising Soleimani but others blaming him for instability in the region. | |
| • Reaction in the United States has also been mixed, mostly down party lines between Republicans and Democrats. | |
| BAGHDAD — Anxieties and fear rippled through the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Friday as an entire nation held its breath. Streets were quiet. Many restaurants were deserted. Along checkpoints down the streets, young soldiers and militiamen clutched their weapons tight, appearing nervous at what might follow. | |
| Iraqis know well what it means to be trapped in a bloody shadow war between allies Iran and the United States. Some referenced the feeling of calm before the storm that pervaded the days before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. “It’s just like 2003, but we have social media this time,” one woman wrote in a post. | |
| In Tahrir Square, the epicenter of anti-government protests that have swept the country and decried Iranian influence over Iraq’s politics, early morning celebrations over Soleimani’s death gave way to a darker mood. Many said they feared a violent assault by Iran-backed militias, as they have already witnessed several times in recent months. Unlike previous Fridays among the protesters, there were no chants, activities or free food. For one of the young men gathered there, Ayad Emad, it was time to leave. “World War III is about to happen and this is beyond demonstrations demanding reforms. No one is going to listen to us, given the circumstances.” | |
| More than 500 people have already died in a months-long and Iran-backed campaign to quash the movement. “If there is an act of revenge for what happened this morning, there will be unnecessary bloodshed,” Emad said. | |
| WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Friday afternoon that it will deploy an additional 3,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to bolster security in the region. | WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said Friday afternoon that it will deploy an additional 3,500 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to bolster security in the region. |
| The forces will join a battalion of about 750 soldiers from the division that arrived in Kuwait on Thursday, said a defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. | The forces will join a battalion of about 750 soldiers from the division that arrived in Kuwait on Thursday, said a defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. |
| The soldiers are with the division’s “ready brigade,” a unit that is trained and prepared to deploy on short notice. Defense officials said Thursday that the remainder of the brigade was ordered to prepare for a deployment, but it wasn’t clear then if they would do so. | The soldiers are with the division’s “ready brigade,” a unit that is trained and prepared to deploy on short notice. Defense officials said Thursday that the remainder of the brigade was ordered to prepare for a deployment, but it wasn’t clear then if they would do so. |
| BEIRUT — As the Middle East grappled with the fallout from Soleimani’s death, perhaps the most divided reaction came from Syria, where the Iranian commander is seen as a hero by supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was backed by Iran, and a villain by Assad’s opponents. | BEIRUT — As the Middle East grappled with the fallout from Soleimani’s death, perhaps the most divided reaction came from Syria, where the Iranian commander is seen as a hero by supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was backed by Iran, and a villain by Assad’s opponents. |
| “The martyr Soleimani will be canonized in the souls of the Syrian people who will not forget his standing beside the Syrian Arab army,” Assad said in a telegram to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. | “The martyr Soleimani will be canonized in the souls of the Syrian people who will not forget his standing beside the Syrian Arab army,” Assad said in a telegram to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. |
| But in Ariha, a rebel-held town in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, Syrians filled the streets in celebration, waving revolutionary flags. “Soleimani is gone, gone, gone,” a man sang. | But in Ariha, a rebel-held town in northwestern Syria’s Idlib province, Syrians filled the streets in celebration, waving revolutionary flags. “Soleimani is gone, gone, gone,” a man sang. |
| Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the news was a shock. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that has seats in parliament and is one of Iran’s staunchest allies, released a statement praising Soleimani’s record leading militias in Iraq, a country Nasrallah said had been freed “from occupation and terrorism.” | Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the news was a shock. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that has seats in parliament and is one of Iran’s staunchest allies, released a statement praising Soleimani’s record leading militias in Iraq, a country Nasrallah said had been freed “from occupation and terrorism.” |
| Lebanon’s foreign ministry, headed by Gebran Bassil, a Hezbollah ally, also condemned the U.S. attack and called it a “dangerous escalation against Iran that aims to increase tension in the area.” | Lebanon’s foreign ministry, headed by Gebran Bassil, a Hezbollah ally, also condemned the U.S. attack and called it a “dangerous escalation against Iran that aims to increase tension in the area.” |
| There was a muted official response on Friday from the monarchies of the Persian Gulf, including from states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that have prodded the United States to take stronger action against Iran, while at the same time fretting about the consequences of escalating tensions in the region. | There was a muted official response on Friday from the monarchies of the Persian Gulf, including from states like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that have prodded the United States to take stronger action against Iran, while at the same time fretting about the consequences of escalating tensions in the region. |
| A Saudi government statement, noting the threats from “terrorist militias” in Iraq, also called for “self-restraint to prevent everything that might exacerbate the situation.” Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, wrote that “in light of the quickening regional developments, wisdom and balance should prevail,” in a message on Twitter. | A Saudi government statement, noting the threats from “terrorist militias” in Iraq, also called for “self-restraint to prevent everything that might exacerbate the situation.” Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, wrote that “in light of the quickening regional developments, wisdom and balance should prevail,” in a message on Twitter. |
| There were scattered protests against the United States after Friday prayers in Bahrain, a tiny Persian Gulf state with a Shiite Muslim majority that hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, according to activists there. In Kuwait, the government warned citizens to “avoid discourse that might affect national unity and lead to division and trouble,” according to the Kuwait News Agency. | There were scattered protests against the United States after Friday prayers in Bahrain, a tiny Persian Gulf state with a Shiite Muslim majority that hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, according to activists there. In Kuwait, the government warned citizens to “avoid discourse that might affect national unity and lead to division and trouble,” according to the Kuwait News Agency. |
| WASHINGTON — In photographs released by the official office of Iran’s supreme leader on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was shown visiting Soleimani’s mourning family in Tehran. | WASHINGTON — In photographs released by the official office of Iran’s supreme leader on Friday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was shown visiting Soleimani’s mourning family in Tehran. |
| Soleimani is reported to have had four children. An official from the Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, told The Washington Post that his son-in-law was also among the dead in Friday morning’s strike too. | Soleimani is reported to have had four children. An official from the Popular Mobilization Forces, an alliance of pro-Iran militias in Iraq, told The Washington Post that his son-in-law was also among the dead in Friday morning’s strike too. |
| TORONTO — Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne called on all sides Friday “to exercise restraint and pursue de-escalation” after a U.S. airstrike killed one of Iran’s top military commanders. | TORONTO — Canadian Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne called on all sides Friday “to exercise restraint and pursue de-escalation” after a U.S. airstrike killed one of Iran’s top military commanders. |
| “Canada has long been concerned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, led by Qasem Soleimani, whose aggressive actions have had a destabilizing effect in the region and beyond,” he said in a statement Friday. | “Canada has long been concerned by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, led by Qasem Soleimani, whose aggressive actions have had a destabilizing effect in the region and beyond,” he said in a statement Friday. |
| Canada has as many as 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region, as a member of the global coalition against the Islamic State and to train Iraqi forces. Champagne said their safety and that of Canada’s diplomats is his “paramount concern.” | Canada has as many as 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region, as a member of the global coalition against the Islamic State and to train Iraqi forces. Champagne said their safety and that of Canada’s diplomats is his “paramount concern.” |
| BEIRUT — Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia whose rocket attack last Friday on U.S. troops in Iraq precipitated the sudden escalation in tensions, warned Friday that the United States would face “grave consequences” for the killing of Soleimani and the group’s deputy leader. | BEIRUT — Iraq’s Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia whose rocket attack last Friday on U.S. troops in Iraq precipitated the sudden escalation in tensions, warned Friday that the United States would face “grave consequences” for the killing of Soleimani and the group’s deputy leader. |
| The strike “places Iraq, the region, and the world in front of a dangerous juncture, the consequences of which may lead towards a war that spares none” the militia warned in a statement. “This will be the beginning of the end of the American presence in Iraq and the region.” | The strike “places Iraq, the region, and the world in front of a dangerous juncture, the consequences of which may lead towards a war that spares none” the militia warned in a statement. “This will be the beginning of the end of the American presence in Iraq and the region.” |
| Kataib Hezbollah is one of dozens of Shiite militias in Iraq that fall under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces, or Hashd Shaabi, whose deputy leader Jamal Jaafar Ibrahimi, known as Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was also killed. It was considered one of the most directly influenced by Iran and was regarded as an extension of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, which Soleimani commanded. | |
| The United States is holding Kataib Hezbollah responsible for an escalating campaign of rocket attacks targeting Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are present that culminated in the death last week of a U.S. contractor in Kirkuk. The U.S. airstrikes carried out in response against Kataib Hezbollah bases last Sunday triggered the attempt to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by thousands of militia supporters on Tuesday. The group had agreed to leave the embassy perimeter Wednesday, before Soleimani was targeted early Friday. | The United States is holding Kataib Hezbollah responsible for an escalating campaign of rocket attacks targeting Iraqi bases where U.S. troops are present that culminated in the death last week of a U.S. contractor in Kirkuk. The U.S. airstrikes carried out in response against Kataib Hezbollah bases last Sunday triggered the attempt to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by thousands of militia supporters on Tuesday. The group had agreed to leave the embassy perimeter Wednesday, before Soleimani was targeted early Friday. |
| WASHINGTON — Michael Morell, the former acting CIA director under the Obama administration, told “CBS This Morning” that “there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans, as a result of this” airstrike, adding that a response could come “possibly over the next few days.” | WASHINGTON — Michael Morell, the former acting CIA director under the Obama administration, told “CBS This Morning” that “there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans, as a result of this” airstrike, adding that a response could come “possibly over the next few days.” |
| Morell said that Iraq was the most likely place where U.S. citizens would come under threat, but he also pointed toward Lebanon, Bahrain and other places where Tehran-aligned militias operate. “This sets a precedent that senior officials are fair game,” Morell added. | Morell said that Iraq was the most likely place where U.S. citizens would come under threat, but he also pointed toward Lebanon, Bahrain and other places where Tehran-aligned militias operate. “This sets a precedent that senior officials are fair game,” Morell added. |
| Iranian hard-liners and their allies were likely to rally after the killing of a popular figure, said Morell, who retired from the agency in 2013 and has criticized the Trump administration. “I think we’ve now ended any hope of keeping Iraq out of Iran’s arms,” Morell said, suggesting that Iraqi politicians may now move to expel U.S. troops from the country. | Iranian hard-liners and their allies were likely to rally after the killing of a popular figure, said Morell, who retired from the agency in 2013 and has criticized the Trump administration. “I think we’ve now ended any hope of keeping Iraq out of Iran’s arms,” Morell said, suggesting that Iraqi politicians may now move to expel U.S. troops from the country. |
| JERUSALEM — Israelis reacted with muted satisfaction Friday to the killing of Soleimani, a man they considered the mastermind behind decades of terrorism directed against their country, even as they braced for potentially deadly retaliation by Iran and its proxies at a time of pitched tension in the region. | JERUSALEM — Israelis reacted with muted satisfaction Friday to the killing of Soleimani, a man they considered the mastermind behind decades of terrorism directed against their country, even as they braced for potentially deadly retaliation by Iran and its proxies at a time of pitched tension in the region. |
| Israel’s embassies around the world were put on heightened alert, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Greece to monitor the situation from Jerusalem. Israel’s official reaction to the U.S. drone strike was restrained so as not to further inflame the moment or imply any Israeli involvement. Netanyahu instructed government officials not to comment but hailed the attack in remarks to reporters while traveling. | Israel’s embassies around the world were put on heightened alert, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Greece to monitor the situation from Jerusalem. Israel’s official reaction to the U.S. drone strike was restrained so as not to further inflame the moment or imply any Israeli involvement. Netanyahu instructed government officials not to comment but hailed the attack in remarks to reporters while traveling. |
| WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a prominent voice on Iran policy, said he was not briefed on the Soleimani strike and called on the Trump administration to deliver more answers to Congress on what prompted the attack. | WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a prominent voice on Iran policy, said he was not briefed on the Soleimani strike and called on the Trump administration to deliver more answers to Congress on what prompted the attack. |
| “I fear that this administration used tactics but has no strategy in the long term,” Menendez said in an MSNBC appearance, “and what we cannot accept is a march to an unauthorized war.” | “I fear that this administration used tactics but has no strategy in the long term,” Menendez said in an MSNBC appearance, “and what we cannot accept is a march to an unauthorized war.” |
| Lawmakers “need to see the facts,” he added. “If they can prove through the intelligence that this was an imminent threat against U.S. interests and personnel and that it was defensive in nature, then maybe it has the authority to [strike Soleimani]. But if they cannot … we see a gradual march to military action directly or indirectly with Iran, that has not been authorized by Congress. And if that’s where you’re headed, then you need to come to Congress to get an authorization for the use of military force.” | Lawmakers “need to see the facts,” he added. “If they can prove through the intelligence that this was an imminent threat against U.S. interests and personnel and that it was defensive in nature, then maybe it has the authority to [strike Soleimani]. But if they cannot … we see a gradual march to military action directly or indirectly with Iran, that has not been authorized by Congress. And if that’s where you’re headed, then you need to come to Congress to get an authorization for the use of military force.” |
| Menendez also speculated about possible retaliatory attacks that Iran may be considering, ranging from actions by proxy groups against U.S. allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, to targeting the region’s oil production capacity, to even attacks on the U.S. homeland. | Menendez also speculated about possible retaliatory attacks that Iran may be considering, ranging from actions by proxy groups against U.S. allies such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, to targeting the region’s oil production capacity, to even attacks on the U.S. homeland. |
| “They can have sleeper cells in the United States,” he said. “It is possible to see sympathizers and supporters of the Quds Force in Iran make attacks here.” | “They can have sleeper cells in the United States,” he said. “It is possible to see sympathizers and supporters of the Quds Force in Iran make attacks here.” |
| WASHINGTON — Trump tweeted Friday morning that the United States has been paying large sums of money to Iraq “on top of all else we have done for them” and criticized the influence of Iran in the country. | WASHINGTON — Trump tweeted Friday morning that the United States has been paying large sums of money to Iraq “on top of all else we have done for them” and criticized the influence of Iran in the country. |
| “The people of Iraq don’t want to be dominated & controlled by Iran, but ultimately, that is their choice,” Trump added, before tweeting that the people of Iraq were not happy with the influence of Iran over their country. “It will never end well!” | “The people of Iraq don’t want to be dominated & controlled by Iran, but ultimately, that is their choice,” Trump added, before tweeting that the people of Iraq were not happy with the influence of Iran over their country. “It will never end well!” |
| U.S. strike on top Iranian commander sharply divides Congress | U.S. strike on top Iranian commander sharply divides Congress |
| WASHINGTON — António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, is “deeply concerned with the recent escalation” in the Middle East, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. | WASHINGTON — António Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, is “deeply concerned with the recent escalation” in the Middle East, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson. |
| “This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint,” the statement read. “The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf.” | “This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint,” the statement read. “The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf.” |
| BERLIN — European politicians on Friday warned of the potential for a violent blowback after the United States killed Iran’s top military commander. The British and German governments called for a de-escalation after the United States announced overnight that President Trump had ordered the killing of Soleimani. German government deputy spokesperson Ulrike Demmer said it marked a “dangerous escalation point.” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain had always recognized “the aggressive threat” posed by Soleimani but “further conflict is in none of our interests.” Some U.S. allies urged their citizens to leave Iraq immediately. | BERLIN — European politicians on Friday warned of the potential for a violent blowback after the United States killed Iran’s top military commander. The British and German governments called for a de-escalation after the United States announced overnight that President Trump had ordered the killing of Soleimani. German government deputy spokesperson Ulrike Demmer said it marked a “dangerous escalation point.” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain had always recognized “the aggressive threat” posed by Soleimani but “further conflict is in none of our interests.” Some U.S. allies urged their citizens to leave Iraq immediately. |
| WASHINGTON — Crude oil prices spiked 4 percent Friday after news of Soleimani’s death spread, an abrupt escalation of Middle East tensions with serious implications for global oil supplies and economic growth. | WASHINGTON — Crude oil prices spiked 4 percent Friday after news of Soleimani’s death spread, an abrupt escalation of Middle East tensions with serious implications for global oil supplies and economic growth. |
| Brent crude surged more than $2.50 a barrel, to $68.96, in its biggest jump since Saudi oil fields came under attack in September. West Texas Intermediate hit $63.72 a barrel, an eight-month high. Oil company stocks also climbed, with Shell up 1.4 percent and BP up 1.9 percent in Europe. | Brent crude surged more than $2.50 a barrel, to $68.96, in its biggest jump since Saudi oil fields came under attack in September. West Texas Intermediate hit $63.72 a barrel, an eight-month high. Oil company stocks also climbed, with Shell up 1.4 percent and BP up 1.9 percent in Europe. |