News Rangers
LAGOS DECEMBER 4TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Iran’s defence minister Amir Hatami has vowed that the gulf state will avenge the death of Major General Qassem Soleimani who was killed at Baghdad airport by the US
Iran has vowed ‘crushing revenge’ on the US for the airstrike ‘assassination’ of Major General Qassem Soleimani.
Defence minister Amir Hatami, who is also top commander of the elite Quds, said: “A crushing revenge will be taken for Soleimani’s unjust assassination…
“We will take revenge from all those involved and responsible for his assassination.”
Maj Gen Soleimani was killed in a drone airstrike on Baghdad airport by US forces and US forces in the region have been warned about possible retribution.
The Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has warned that the rocket attack ‘will spark a devastating war in Iraq’.
The US embassy in Baghdad has urged citizens to ‘depart Iraq immediately’.
Mirror UK reported that US citizens in Iraq have been warned to leave the country ‘immediately’ by the US state department.
Soleimani was killed in retaliation for attacks against the embassy in Iraq’s capital just days ago.
In the aftermath of Friday’s attack, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned a “harsh retaliation is waiting” for the US – describing the commander as the “international face of resistance”.
Regional neighbour Syria has condemned ‘treacherous, criminal American aggression’ that led to the killing of Soleimani, state news agency SANA cited a foreign ministry source as saying on Friday.
The source said the attack constituted a “serious escalation” and reaffirmed US responsibility for instability in Iraq, according to SANA.
The wreckage of a car near Bagdhad airport (Image: Barzan Sadiq/Twitter)Tensions have been high ever since the American embassy in Iraq came under threat from what was initially described as protesters.However it is now thought they were backed by Iran.
Muqtada al Sadr , an Iraqi Shia cleric and militia leader, has given orders to revive Al Mahdi Army and Al-Yom Al-Maw’oud militias, according to press reports.
The Mahdi Army was formed by Muqtada in June 2003 in response to the US invasion of Iraq.
China has urged the relevant sides, especially the US, to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalating tensions, said Geng Shuang, a ministry spokesman, adding that peace and stability in the Middle East must be upheld.
