Thread by @richimedhurst

Two years ago today, Donald Trump ordered the assassination of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al Muhandis. The US murdered two men engaged in the fight against ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Western imperialism; a provocative act of war and murder declared unlawful by the United Nations.

The US claimed that Soleimani posed an "imminent threat". This is an out-right lie. The UN found no such thing. Moreover, Soleimani had just landed in Baghdad, on an official visit at the invitation of the Iraqi Prime Minister himself. He was murdered shortly after by a US drone.

Trump told Congress the assassination was in "self-defense" -- for things that had happened in the past. Some of these things were not even "attacks" but perceived threats. One example included a US drone shot down by Iran -- after it illegally entered Iranian airspace.

US officials like Pompeo also claimed that Soleimani had "killed US troops" or put "American lives in danger". The only one putting American lives in danger, is the United States when it sends its own troops to die in wars created for corporate profit.

In an another ridiculous attempt to justify murdering Soleimani, the White House cited the AUMF 2002 as the legal "justification". The thing is: the AUMF was to start a war against Iraq, not Iran. (You won't see Pelosi or Democrats impeach Trump though for almost starting a war).

When Soleimani was killed, literally millions of people attended his funeral. Most presidents and world leaders never see crowds like that. It's a testament to his popularity in Iran and outside. He is considered the embodiment of what it means to be a resistance fighter.

Soleimani and Abu Mahdi, as leaders of the Quds Force and PMU, didn't just fight ISIS with their own men. Soleimani is also credited with convincing Russia to enter the war in Syria, tipping the balance against Daesh & Al Qaeda. Seyed Nasrallah recounts:

You won't hear these things in Western media because Western media is designed to push narratives that support the war effort. They don't want you to know that ISIS and Al Qaeda were crushed by Russia, Syria, Iran, Hezbollah-- because they want to demonize these parties.

The people who say that Haj Qassem is a "terrorist" are themselves terrorists. They're basically saying: let Al Qaeda win!
Without Soleimani's efforts, Syria and Iraq would have fallen to ISIS. The Palestinian and Lebanese resistance would have fallen to the israelis.

Trump now says he felt "used" by the israelis, who recently admitted to their role in the murder. This is hardly surprising. When you have someone like Soleimani helping Palestine, Lebanon and Syria resist israel's illegal occupation, then of course the israelis will be mad.

The same goes for the United States and its regime change projects in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Soleimani and Abu Mahdi were not ones to simply acquiesce to foreign armies invading their neighbors and surrounding them with bases.

The people behind this murder strongly miscalculated in assassinating Soleimani because the Resistance Axis is even stronger than it was two years ago. Resistance to imperialism and neocolonialism is not dependent on one man, no matter how formidable of a commander. It goes on.

My full report on the 2nd anniversary of the murder of General Soleimani:

presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01…