Was It Legal For The U.S. To Kill A Top Iranian Military Leader?
The strike against Qassem Soleimani raises thorny legal questions — and experts disagree over whether the U.S. had the legal authority to do it.
The U.S. killing of a top Iranian military leader, Qassem Soleimani, in an airstrike in Baghdad this week has raised thorny legal questions. Experts disagree over whether the U.S. had the legal authority to launch the deadly strike.
President Trump stated that Soleimani was plotting "imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and American personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him."
The powerful Iranian commander led a shadowy elite military organization called the Quds Force. In recent months, the U.S. says the group has backed an Iraqi militia that has launched numerous attacks on U.S. personnel, including Tuesday's attempt to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
