Too much to ask of #WaPo, but can we please never hear from #JakeSullivan again?
#MaxBoot piles onto this nonsense by comparing the #Kirillov hit with #Suleimani assassination, an attack on a nation the US wasn't at war with at the time.
No, a much better analogy is the #Israel's decapitation strikes against #Hamas and #Hezbollah. Like those, this is an attack on the command structure of a rogue terrorist group. Unlike those, it caused zero civilian deaths. #SBU deserves nothing but praise.
It is not clear how much info the #UnitedStates gave Russian ofcls beyond what was in the public warning.
#American #intelligence agencies have a “#DutyToWarn” potential targets of dangers when they learn of them.
The #US had warned #Iran of a possible #attack ahead of twin #bombings in Jan that killed ≥103 people & wounded 211 others at a memorial service for Iran’s fmr top general, Qassim #Suleimani, who was killed by a US #drone strike 4 yrs before.
At least 84 people died when two blasts ripped through the crowd near #Suleimani’s tomb in the city of #Kerman, four years after he was killed by a US drone strike in #Baghdad. Suleimani had been a staunch enemy of IS, which resents the damage he did to its cause in #Iraq and #Syria. #ISIS #Israel
#IslamicState claims responsibility for Iran bombings that killed at least 84
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/04/iran-kerman-attack-islamic-state-suspicion-border-afghanistan-pakistan
Witness reports spoke of two explosions 15 minutes apart in the south-central city of #Kerman tearing into the crowds that had gathered to mark the death of #Suleimani, once regarded as the most powerful figure in the Middle East, and responsible for extending Iranian influence in #Lebanon, #Syria and #Iraq.
Almost 100 dead in blasts at #Iran memorial for assassinated commander | Iran | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/03/dead-in-blasts-at-memorial-for-assassinated-iranian-commander
This is considered a declaration of war / military operation.
What caused the raising of the red flag is unnown. The last time the red flag was raised was when Qasem #Suleimani was killed.
Photo: Fars News Agency
As for those talking about a loss of face for CCP: Responses don't have to be immediate. If one country serves as a precedent, it's Iran that still weighs its response to killing of #Suleimani.
Uncertainty can be much more unnerving to adversaries.
Dmitry Borodaenko
divine nonchalance
Nonilex
Norobiik @
Conflict Mirror
iophobia
Bernardo Dainese
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