Thread by @OlivierGuitta

#Iran may be overplaying its hand in #Iraq by using its proxies openly attacking the #US. The slight goodwill that President #Trump showed about getting a deal with Iran might be waning quickly...

https://twitter.com/LizSly/status/1211996165518057472

This could be one of the biggest nights in the fight against terrorism, if confirmed that the #US was able to kill at the same time the #Iran-ian terror master Qassem #Soleimani and the head of the Kataeb #Hezbollah militia in #Iraq. reut.rs/39AnDs7

#Iraq-i TV confirming the death of #Iran's Qassem #Soleimani. Still has to be 100% confirmed but nonetheless the #US's resolve in dealing now swiftly with #Iran and its proxies in #Iraq is admirable.

Now Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias has confirmed the death of both #Iran's terror master Qassem #Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis tonight in a #US operation. reut.rs/2FjkNcM

This is the biggest win against terrorism for the #US, including the killing of both #AlQaeda's Osama #binLaden and #IslamicState Abu Bakr #alBaghdadi. #Iran's #Soleimani was instrumental in so many terror operations around the world in the past 30+ years.

The killing tonight of #Qassem #Soleimani is without any doubt #US #Trump's biggest victory in both the fight against terrorists but also on the international relations stage. #Iran has lost more than just a master operative but a major piece of its regime.

In just a few days, #US #Trump has shown how to deal with terrorists attacking American targets while #Obama and his stooges John #Kerry and Ben #Rhodes spent eight years pandering to the terror regime of #Iran.

Talk about bad timing for an article the @latimes published this just before #US #Trump's biggest success on #Iran, killing Qassem #Soleimani. lat.ms/2QFWsmV

@latimes Despicable how many #Western "experts" and pundits on the left are shedding tears that the biggest terror master, #Iran Qassem #Soleimani- that has helped #Syria butcher #Assad to kill 500,000 of his own people- has been killed by the #US. If that's not justice, what is?

@latimes For all the talk about a full upscale war between #Iran and the #US over the killing of #Tehran's terror master Qassem #Soleimani, the fact that #Iran now realises that #America is not a paper tiger anymore will resonate in the ears of Supreme Leader #Khameini.

#Iran wrongly bet that because #US #Trump did not retaliate after both the downing of the US drone and the attack on #SaudiArabia #Aramco oil facilities, he would avoid acting on #Tehran's provocations. Yesterday's drone attacks on #Iran's defacto #2 changed that...

Also a point not raised is the "ease" of how the #US could eliminate #Iran's terror master Qassem #Soleimani just two days after the attack on the US embassy in #Iraq and #Trump's threat that Iran would pay a heavy price. This should put the fear in #Tehran that no one is safe.

Something to ponder: Despite all the declarations of vengeance from the #Iran regime and the likelihood of attacks abroad against #US and #Israel-i interests, the mullah's regime would like more than anything to save their skins and can't afford a full-blown conflict with the US.

#Iran has been at war with the #US for the past 40 years: ignoring this fact is intellectual dishonesty. That the #Obama administration closed its eyes to Iran's aggressive stance against #America during eight years does not change the fact. bit.ly/2Fh8LRp #Soleimani

For a background on #Iran's terror tactics since 1979, pls see my @BrookingsInst paper describing in particular #Hezbollah mounting on #Tehran's orders a campaign in #France in 1985-86. A similar model may be used by Iran now to avenge #Soleimani's death. brook.gs/37uzCWa

@BrookingsInst Two days ago, a timely profile on the leader of Qataib #Hezbollah killed in a #US drone strike yesterday. He was among other attacks, allegedly directly involved, at the orders of #Iran, in the terror attacks against the #US & #France embassies in #Kuwait. bit.ly/2ZKnuhd

@BrookingsInst A story missed in all the chaos in #Iraq: #Iran-backed militiamen kidnapped two #French journalists working for the @AP on Tuesday. They were released Thursday morning, likely because they were not Americans as the attackers initially thought. bit.ly/2sAg3Nx

Kidnappings of #US nationals in #Iraq, in particular journalists, will likely be the 1st retaliatory weapon used by #Iran& its proxies to take revenge over the death of Qassem #Soleimani & Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Historically Shia terror groups have used that tactic since the 80's

Not stopping with #Soleimani, likely #US airstrikes target #Iran proxy, #Iraq-i militia convoy north of #Baghdad, at least 6 people dead; 2 of 3 vehicles making up the convoy were found burned.