Former American President Donald Trump has stated that Israel was part of a plan to assassinate the former commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out of the plan two days before its execution.
During an interview with Fox News, Trump confirmed that Netanyahu was a key part of the operation against Soleimani for a long time, pointing out that they had worked together on many issues during that period.
Following Israel’s last-minute withdrawal, Trump persuaded the generals to carry out the operation, stating, “When we took down Soleimani, Israel was supposed to participate in it, but two days before the attack, they said, ‘We can’t do it,’ and then I turned to our general and said, ‘Can we do this?’ He said, ‘Yes, we can do it, sir, and it’s up to you,’ and then I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.'”
On January 3, 2020, Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, were killed in a rocket attack near Baghdad International Airport.
At the beginning of the current year, Iranian judicial authorities revealed the number of countries involved in the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, identifying 125 suspects and accused individuals who are members of the U.S. administration.
Trump’s statements come in response to attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan by Iran-backed factions, resulting in the deaths of 3 American soldiers. In retaliation, U.S. forces carried out retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria against the Quds Force and its allied militias.
When asked about the attack during the interview, Trump responded that it would not have happened during his presidency. He added that when he was in office, Iran respected him, and he exerted strong pressure on Iran because of its actions, expecting their reaction.
