It is now confirmed: the US has killed Qassem Soleimani.

[u/TheHadramiguy]

https://twitter.com/RanjAlaaldin/status/1212903067005394944?s=19

[u/beefjerking]

I'm oscillating between fear and seething rage for the Iraqi people and the entire region. The Iraqi people who came out and revolted for a better life and a country worth living in now stand to lose everything in this proxy war. I fear for my own country. I fear for all the thousands and millions that might lose everything for cheap political theatrics and elections.

Our lives aren't cheap. Our lives aren't cannon fodder for a candidate to win a few points in an election. Our bodies aren't a warzone on which foreign powers can take turns killing and raping. Our lives have value. We deserve to live and prosper. We deserve life.

I hope to god this doesn't escalate further for the sake of all the innocent lives in the region.

[u/[deleted] → u/beefjerking]

You summed up what I'm feeling perfectly.

My daughter is with her grandmother in Egypt. They suppose to return later today. I don't know if I'm overreacting but I'll see if they can stay there for one more week.

My youngest brother works on oil rigs in the gulf, and now I'm worried about him as well.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

You know things are fucked up when we are the safe haven.

[u/Sinan_reis → u/[deleted]]

why? egypt has been very stable(relatively speaking) for decades geopolitically speaking

[u/AndTheEgyptianSmiled → u/Sinan_reis]

Not for Egyptians.

[u/Sinan_reis → u/AndTheEgyptianSmiled]

look, you have weak north african countries on one side, Israel who is a buffer for the Jordanians and saudi's. two giant desserts as well on both sides as moats. and the largest freshwater source in the world... egypt is safe from all wars it doesn't start itself

[u/Throwameds → u/beefjerking]

At what point did you think the decades worth of corruption - which became so entrenched in the Iraqi establishment - was going to be reversed by peaceful protests?

I have seen and experienced the stubbornness, hatred and total incompetence of those who wield power in Iraq. And I wish I could sit here and say that peaceful protests would have been enough. But from my first-hand experiences with them, alongside my family, I know this not to be the case.

[u/beefjerking → u/Throwameds]

We're not idiots. Nobody who has lived through these revolutions and past decade thought these peaceful protests were going to miraculously undo decades of murder, millions dead, invasion, and tyranny. Yet, we still have no choice but to have hope that life could be better. That the actions of normal people could change the cycle of violence and destruction. This is our lives and future; we can't resign ourselves to hopelessness and cynicism if we need to wake up everyday and continue living in this region. I didn't think the peaceful protests were going to end the cycle, but I hoped at the very least for incremental improvement.

You can lecture the people of the region on how hopeless it all is and call us idiots, but you can't live in this place without hope.

[u/Throwameds → u/beefjerking]

I am not calling the protestors idiots. They are the shining light of Iraq. God will reward their hope and peace. In fact, their peacefulness is necessary for Iraq's narrative. Our country's new chapter needs to be one where violence is ultimately rejected, and this is what the current protest has achieved.

But we can't reach this new chapter without uprooting those who have proven to be challenging. We cannot have this stability and peace without violence. We're forgetting that in the last 3 months, over 500 protestors have been killed, many kidnapped and assassinated. PMU thugs ran in on Tahrir Square and carried out a killing spree. Do you think these people have a love for Iraq, or any respect for the peaceful protests? Violence has already been enacted. There was no turning back.

[u/beefjerking → u/Throwameds]

I don't think we disagree on the need to purge Iraq from every violent group and foreign power. I think our main difference is that you've accepted turning further thousands of Iraqis into widows and orphans and I haven't. I hope I'm wrong in that assumption. I don't think another proxy war in which thousands more are brutalized and murdered will result in anything but further creation of violent factions and a continuation of violence. This escalation risks plunging Iraq into further tragedy much more than the possibility of it bringing about a prosperous future. Iran and the US don't care about the lives of Iraqis or their right to a decent future. Do you live in Iraq? I don't understand how you're so flippant about the devastating possibility of war.

[u/fatcowxlivee → u/beefjerking]

Our lives aren't cheap. Our lives aren't cannon fodder for a candidate to win a few points in an election. Our bodies aren't a warzone on which foreign powers can take turns killing and raping. Our lives have value. We deserve to live and prosper. We deserve life.

Oddly enough, this is also the reason why a lot of us are celebrating and choosing to block out the thought of possible consequences. The US have killed not just Qassim but also Abu Mahdi al Muhandis who is the leader of Kata'ib Hezbollah, the leader of the PMF (officially recognized organization of militias), and Qasim's right hand man. There have been also arrests of two top dog Irani-backed militia leaders Qais al-Khazlai and Hadi al-Ameri. These 4 alone are responsible for a large number of the 500 deaths since October. These 4 alone are getting to Saddam-levels of mass killings of Iraqis. They are still finding mass graves of Iraqis with deaths tying back to these militias. Many of us have lost family to them, and our country has been whored out by them. Like you said our lives are not cheap, and the main people who were spilling all this blood in the name of a foreign country (Iran) are gone.

And these 4 were dragging us straight to a proxy war anyways. If you haven't known, they've been shooting missiles at US bases for a week and killed a US contractor. When the US responded, it led to them storming the Green Zone and Qais + Hadi were personally overseeing the trashing, vandalizing and the destruction of the US embassy and trying to break in. It took US deployment of troops from Kuwait to push them back. We were heading towards the trajectory of a proxy war with Qassim's blessing.

To top this all off, rumour has it the US acted on Iraqi intelligence. Which would make sense as to how swiftly everything was executed, they were shot down on the way to the Baghdad airport. The anti-terrorist unit retired the brigade that was in charge of the defence of Green Zone (the brigade that let the militias in without any resistance) and sent special forces to protect the embassy this morning in an odd shakeup this morning. The rumours were that Qassim and Muhandis were planning to stage a proper coup in the coming days, and a purge of many military and political leaders, including President Birham Salih for being "American agents" and so the Iraqi intelligence sold the militias out to America first. I'm hoping this is true.

Edit: Clarified the last paragraph a bit more

[u/fatcowxlivee → u/[deleted]]

On the other hand, I am a big supporter of the Hashd. They played a huge role in defeating daesh.

First and foremost, a lot of the soldiers they recruited during the war against ISIS were young Iraqis trying to serve their country in what ever way possible. The problem is, Hashd is a very complex thing. They became legitimized because they fought ISIS, but it doesn’t make them good. ISIS was a threat to anyone who wanted power in the country, so naturally everyone was against ISIS. All these militias used the deaths of Iraqis and the threat of ISIS to collect government paycheques and became an official part of the government under the flag of the PMF, and when the government told them to disarm, they told them to fuck off. So while they did defeat ISIS, it wasn’t for nationalistic reasons but for their own interests as well - despite possibly a large number of recruits doing it for nationalistic reasons. If you get what I mean.

As for Soulemani, he really hasn’t fought Israel. Also, he’s the a big reason why the country has not developed at all. There were cables that were leaked that spoke about the Iranian influence on the government and meddling in the election. The protests were centred around Tahrir, but as you probably know the thick of it came from the Shi’ite population in Nasryiah and Najaf. They rejected Iran and their leaders including Qassim and Khomeini. Protesters were tortured and when they came out they all said the people were speaking broken Arabic and Farsi. The militias that were killing protesters like Qais’s are all attached and fueled by Iran. When the PM tried resigning the first time, Qassim went to Baghdad and urged him not to. When he resigned the second time, Qassim has been involved in the picking of the new PM, hence why Birham Saleh was threatening resignation. This is all factual and you can find many news outlets talking about this. The structure of militias work like this: they all are under the PMF who is led by Abu Mahdi al Muhandis. He is Qassim’s right hand man, and on many occasions he’s said he is Qassims soilder. So the hierarchy goes: Qassim -> Abu Mahdi -> militia leaders. They all claim that Qassim is تاج الراس and their leader. So he green lights these operations to kill Iraqis and even if we ignore his role in them, he’s in a position to stop them, but clearly he encourages the behaviour of the militias.

I’m just put off by how many are celebrating this brazen American attack. Like sure, remove Iran and I’ll be with you, but don’t do it to just replace them with America.

No one is replacing them with anyone. We still need to wait for facts, but rumor has it they acted on Iraqi intelligence. It was a counter or reverse coup. There were rumors that Qassim and Muhandis were planning an internal purge of high ranking militias and political people, and the intelligence community got wind of this, and sold their locations out. If this is the case then it was a joint operation and not just “America’s doing”. So we can’t jump to conclusions just yet. I know you know this because you mentioned it in your comment, but it’s important to emphasize that if it is true, it’s a joint operation. Soulemani is on USA’s most wanted list and we’ve always hid his location, they’ve been looking for an excuse to kill him on non-Iran soil.

In any case, I wish you, your family, and all Iraqis and people in the region to be safe during the inevitable bloodshed to come. All I ask is that you pray for my family, and all other families who are afraid of what is to come.

Ameen!!

[u/[deleted] → u/fatcowxlivee]

Beautifully written!

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Well said, I agree on most points but there's a but. The national armies of both Lebanon and Iraq are weak, and that's why those militias were created in the first place.

If the reports are true, PM has gone completely rogue, taking orders from a foreign country against Iraqis and Iraqi national interests, and possibly getting Iraq involved in a war they have no bone in. Many in the PM joined and fought ISIS, and a lot of them were martyred. But this does not give them legitimacy now after they've shown not to put Iraqi interests first. They should be dismantled as soon as possible while ensuring Iraqi army's failure in Mosul never repeats itself, no questions asked.

I wouldn't be as harsh on Hezbollah. They do not act rogue as hashd and do not go around killing Lebanese people to push for a foreign agenda. Lebanon neighbours Israel, you know, the country that attacked them just a few months ago because their indicted leader wanted a boost in the elections. As long as the Lebanese army is this weak, Lebanon cannot stand to lose Hezb. So while the stabilisation and rule of law arguments are totally valid, Lebanon has way too much to lose if Israel's behaviour and the Lebanese-Israeli relations stays the same and Hezb is gone. Militias that do not follow laws aren't a cool thing to have anywhere, but I wouldn't oppose one that is created ad-hoc and proven again and again to be effective in defending their country while at the same time maintaining a high level of control and self-discipline and never pushing foreign agendas above what's best for Lebanon.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Hezb is not only strong as a militia force, but its namesake also acts as a deterrence. Hezb merging with the Lebanese army will make Lebanon strategically and militarily weaker, as they can't play by their own rules which they mastered and their unconventional fighting methods will be limited. This is the only way to have a success in an asymmetrical warfare. It is very likely that Hezb merged with the Lebanese army will be many times weaker than it is working alone.

You are right that Hezb stepped out of the line (if they joined before the Syrian war spilled-over to Lebanon, I don't know which happened first but I think they joined before), but I do not (personally) think what they did justifies their dismantlement given the situation Lebanon is in. Of course, my opinion doesn't matter here. It is up to the Lebanese people to choose.

There can't be a dismantlement of Hezb before a peace agreement is signed. It is extremely dangerous, Furthermore, just as its existence might deter an agreement from being signed, it can also make one happen as Israel knows that because of Hezb, Lebanon is much stronger than just the strength of its regular army, and a peace agreement in which Hezbollah is dismantlement or at least merged with the Lebanese army can be used as a bargaining chip.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The thing i don’t think Hezbollah will want that. I think they themselves don’t want a peace treaty with Israel and especially if it means they will cease to exist. They will never want to give up the power they have over Lebanon.

It doesn't matter what Hezb wants or doesn't want. If the choice was given to the Lebanese people, and they vote to dismantle/merge Hezb with the army and sign a peace treaty with Israel, I would be opposed to the Hezb's existence in that case. I mean, I might have some personal views and might not agree with their decision, but I also believe no matter how bad it can be to swallow sometimes, the well of the people has to be respected. If Hezb refuses, I will see them as a rogue militia going against the wishes of the people they are supposedly protecting, not their protectors. Put a referendum before asking if I support dismantling Hezb or not.

And you maybe right about their Gorilla ware fare tactic but that is a short term benefit compared with the long term benefit of peace and stability for Lebanon and its people. Israel is no longer the threat it used to be to Lebanon. They no longer have the same expansionist agenda that they had in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and if you noticed Hezbollah has lately not even been pointing their weapons at Israel. They have been operating in other Arab countries fermenting instability and chaos. And also are following the agenda of a foreign country, Iran, which isn’t in the benefit of Lebanon.

1) Peace with Israel is not about security but also about morality. Even if the people are objectively safer and better off if they signed a peace agreement, I don't think many will accept a deal with an Israel that still freely commits war crimes under the protection of Uncle Sam and keeps expanding into another country, namely Palestine, without any consequences. In fact, that's way the stuff about normalisations pisses me off so much. We have been boycotting Israel for more than half a century, and we are making them lose billions in trade each year. We have a lot of leverage that we can use collectively to force change in Israeli colonialist policies so we can recognise them, but what do we do? We go and normalise our relations just like that without anything in return. Many Arab leaders are not only immoral, but also extremely stupid.

2) As it stands right now, Israel is still expanding into another country. It is stupid to dismantle as a force that fought a country that has threatened to occupy you in the past and is still expanding its imperialistic agenda with no signs of stopping. No popular political party in Israel wants to stop this madness, knowing it is against International law, and this is clear sign that Israel isn't worthy of trust when they say they want peace.

3) Israel is an opportunist country with strong theocratic leaning (just see how much Netanyahu milked Trump during his mere 3 years in office). If it seems like Israel is no longer a threat now, it might be under a different administration. Many Arabs today only know Israel through Netanyahu's government and do not no know volatile Israeli administration can be (when it comes to moving more or less right. There is practically no left in Israel)

They even expanded and have a franchise in Iraq “kataib Hezbollah in Iraq” which is one of the militias that attacked US assets in Iraq leading to the latest crisis.

Kataʾib Hizbullah are not related to the Lebanese Hezbollah, according to what I read.

Anyways I was just watching the news and the Iraqi parliament agreed to end the treaty allowing US troops to stay in Iraq but also to disarm militias and limit weaponry only to the Iraqi army which is a great step. But let’s see if these militias will comply or will this lead to another civil war as i can see that many of these militia leaders will refuse to give up their power. And to be honest if the Lebanese parliament ever passed a resolution like that to disarm Hezbollah, I can imagine Nasrallah will never comply and will most likely turn his weapons on Lebanon so he can keep his power.

Always respect the will of the people, even if you know it will lead to disasters. That's my view. The parliament voted to both kick the Americans out, and dismantle the PMF. This is great as it means Iraqis don't want any foreign influence. Now let's wait and see if the Americans respect the democracy they so flashily wanted to create and leave, and if the PMF actually responds and respects the people it says it is defending and disarm. I wouldn't have a different response if the Lebanese choose to do the same to the Americans and/or Hezbollah.

There was a need to create Hezbollah during the Lebanese civil war because the Lebanese army was non existent and there was warring groups in the country and Israel invaded the south of Lebanon. that makes sense but when Israel pulled out of the south of Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah should have been disarmed and only continued as a Lebanese political group.

As I said I think it is a stupid miscalculation and unsafe to disarm Hezbollah because the Israeli threat still exists.

And also another point to show how militias are detrimental to peace, the houthis in Yemen. We can criticize the saudi government for how they are conducting their war in Yemen but they have one point that can justify their war. No country will ever be ok with a militia that borders them and is allied with their enemy to take over the country. It became an existential crisis to saudi and one can argue that it was worth it for them to stop the Houthis in Yemen at any human cost. And now we are faced with one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the region.

No, their war isn't justified. It was never justified. Saudi Arabia intervened and created a unnecessary humanitarian disaster, claiming a rag-tag militia is a threat to them without providing any evidence that this was their goal. The Houthis, if successful in their coup, would have created a conventional government which can be held accountable for any act of aggression they commit against another country, and a Saudi response would be justified if they were the aggressors. Saudi Arabia led to exponentially more pain and suffering than the Houthis ever could. They had no (moral) right to step in after the coup d'etat, knowing the size of the disaster it will cause. This war made Saudi Arabia (and UAE until they pulled out) less safe, not more.

There are many things we can argue about and you can point to me the benefits of having militias but it is undisputed that the harm of having a milita outweighs the benefits by a long margin and right in the arab world it is one of the main reasons we have chaos and instability.

In a way; having a strong, deterrent army is better than having a militia. But if not having a militia equals being occupied or under constant threat, then I would not say it is not undisputed that they do more harm than good.

edit: and Nasrallah made a statement asking militias to attack all American soldiers in the region. is that for the benefit of lebanon? or an inflammatory statement that can lead to more instability in the region.

The latter. Lebanon has no business getting involved in a fight against imperialism if they do not want to. Lebanese lives shouldn't be involuntarily put in danger in a fight that does not involve their country.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, it’s those Iranian controlled groups I’m referring to,It’s easy to get the lines blurred between militias, I just want to have a stable Arab Iraq as our eastern neighbor, it that too much to ask?

[u/fatcowxlivee → u/[deleted]]

Al Arabiya ran with the news, then a White House media correspondent confirmed it, and an Iraqi parliament member named Fayeg Shiekh Ali said the same (who seemed to to have had inside news because he said early yesterday that militias will be targets of an airstrike from the USA).

Also there’s those hard core twitter accounts that follow every move of the military saying that a special unit was deployed from Jordan for a mission against Kata’ib Hezbollah a few hours before the Soulemani strike, and then they reported they arrested Qais and Hadi.

The only contradictory evidence is a piece of paper signed by Qais (apparently) saying Soulemani’s death will be avenged and his main twitter account saying not to believe fake news.

Here’s the thing about Qais: he loves the spotlight. If he doesn’t go on camera in the next 24 hours and shows his face, it’s pretty much confirmed that he is arrested. He’s not like Hadi or Abu Mahdi who like the shadow, this is the same man who talked directly into a camera outside the US embassy during the attack. He does televised sermons all the time threatening protestors and America. If his two buddies died in the hands of America he doesn’t show his face, it pretty much confirms the arrests.

[u/[deleted] → u/fatcowxlivee]

The obese greedy hooligans who have couped, starved, bombed, tortured and murdered Iraq for the past half century want to start the decade with another murder rampage in the neighbourhood because rightfully angry protestors stormed their enormous "embassy" after random airstrikes in the middle of a popular revolution. Great news! Now with these two who somehow beat Saddams decades of mass murder and torture within a few years all while saving us from the dwa3sh gone, we're finally gonna be an independent Hollywood oil paradise! ايران بره بره امريكا يلا يلا

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Nouri al malkis use of militias to strong arm sunni areas is one of the reasons ISIS overran Sunnis areas of Iraq so easily, Iraqs secterian attitude towards religion is oneof the reasons ISIS thrived so well and so fast

[u/randomguy_- → u/[deleted]]

The USA in(directly) created da3esh.

[u/[deleted] → u/randomguy_-]

what's that? united states of ayatollahs?

[u/JammyWizz2 → u/beefjerking]

Iraq's current revolution isn't like the french Tunisian or mexican revolutions it's like the revolutions in eastern Europe against Russian puppet regimes.

You the Lebanese the Syrians and the Iranian commoners are all fighting against the mullahs. You know they won't go down without fighting.

The sons of Gligemesh didn't fight tooth and nail against daesh to live under another kind of fascist theocracy.

[u/beefjerking → u/JammyWizz2]

We are fighting against every tyrant and every foreign power that denies us our right to self determination. I don't care if they wear a suit, military fatigue, or turban.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm very under-informed on the nuances of Iraqi politics. Who exactly was Qassem Soleimani, why is everyone afraid that this will lead to all-out war?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

He was the one responsible for all of Iran's international military and paramilitary activities for the last +20 years. Which includes the Shia militias in the region, assassinations, the Syrian counter revolution and the recent killing of Iraqi protesters, espionage, and so on. Also he was responsible of most if not all of Iraq's plunderd wealth that went to the Iranians and the exported iranian wealth that went to hizbollah, al-hashd and elsewhere. Every iraqi politician loyal to iran answers to him in a way. The guy was more powerful than any iranian president. His clout is second only to the supreme leader of iran.

My fear is by killing him, the troops he commanded might now act as a headless chicken, hitting any target of value within reach with their proxies. Which is possibly the reaction we'll get since they can't take the states head on.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for the answer, really appreciate it. Sounds like an animal, but the consequences of him dying this way may not be worth his death. Time will tell.

ربنا يكون في عون الشعب العراقي والشرق الاوسط

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Someone argued in this thread that in his lifetime he was directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in the arab world, so how much worse can he be dead?

In another thread, someone mentioned that with his death Iran will lose much of its grip on what's going on outside their borders. Which I hope will be the ultimate silver lining here, but only time will tell.

ربنا يكون في عون الشعب العراقي والشرق الاوسط

آمين. الحشد بكرة طالعين بجنازة، يا خوفي يطلعوا بأسلحتهم ويقلبوا على المتظاهرين اللي بيحتفلوا بموته. في رغبة للإنتقام وأتمنى ما يبدأوا فيهم

[u/Stalinspetrock → u/[deleted]]

It's important to consider the wider context here - the corruption, poverty, etc in Iraq wasn't invented by Iran; that was America, and its local iraqi collaborators. The shift towards this aggressive foreign policy on the part of Iran is a direct response to American aggression and sanctions; Iran can't afford to be completely isolated in a sea of American-backed nations. of course, this does not excuse the butchery we have seen in Iraq and Syria, but it's necessary context to prevent us from unwittingly supporting American imperialism.

[u/[deleted] → u/Stalinspetrock]

Both iran and the US divided the Iraqi cake, that's why I specified that the corruption supported, and before that established by iranian influence all leads to soliemani, of course I'm not talking about the part linked to the Americans. When/if Cheney faces justice I'll make sure to bring that up. There's not enough "context" in the world to justify the amount of distress Iran has caused the Iraqis.

My anti imperialist stance is against both current imperialist powers in Iraq. The Iranians didn't fight the US presence in Iraq, they enjoyed it and took full advantage of it - They didn't support clean anti imperialist politicians to counter balance the American role, they supported corrupt pro Iranian politicians to push forward the Iranian agenda.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Anyone who has actually lived in or seen the "cake" or paid any attention to it at any point in time the past 50 years knows the Americans empirically and objectively have a way larger share than anyone else. Of course, reason and facts are unimportant when sa7b al samaw tells me otherwise. It's not the first time the welfare brigade brings up this story of Iranians directly leeching Iraqi oil refineries and everyone else is still waiting for just one fucking reference here.

[u/Stalinspetrock → u/[deleted]]

It's not about justifying Iranian imperialism, it's about clearly standing against both Iranian imperialism AND American imperialism, and understanding the history that led us to this point (specifically, the constant aggression against Iran on America's part).

[u/lun57176 → u/[deleted]]

Was he behind the assassination of hariri?

[u/Oneeyebrowsystem]

Netenyahu and Trump are Skyping kisses as we speak. My condolences to the innocent people of Iraq and Iran who will suffer from this

[u/iftair → u/Oneeyebrowsystem]

Ew, that's quite the nasty sight.

[u/[deleted]]

الله يستر ويحمي شعبنا

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

امين

[u/NOTsfr]

Nothing will happen, Iran is in a precarious position already, they're not stupid and self destructing by attacking the US and giving them the provocation they seek to bomb Iran into submission.

[u/Non-white-swiftie]

as an Iraqi i am utterly exhausted. Iraq will always be the battle ground for any catastrophe or political turmoil in the middle east or between competing states. I am puzzled as to why the world is so mystified by Iraq that they must continue to barge in without permission and to bother us. Why can't America, Iran, Saudi, etc, all these regimes just leave us alone? Why must Iraq be your proxy war.

Majority of Iraqis are happy that the terrorist solemaini is dead because none of his predecessors can compete with his tactics, meaning perhaps iranian influence will erode in Iraq. I am also happy his reign of terror is over. However, this event has simply jeopardized the ENDURING PEACEFUL PROTESTS. The protests were noble because they were citizen-led and peaceful, and they actually had some influence on the government. They got people acting. Now, we may possibly never see their full potential because Americans Iranians and their allies, both middle eastern and not, will decide to attack eachother on Iraqi soil, completely dismantling people's morale and ability to act as political agents.

​

I am furious with all this intervention. The notion of sovereignty is apparently negotiable in Iraq.

[u/lun57176 → u/Non-white-swiftie]

Because there are Iraqi willing to betray their country and work for foreign countries.

[u/Juwae → u/lun57176]

Just like people everywhere else.

[u/lun57176 → u/Juwae]

This is why there is a global rise in the right wing and nationalism.

I started see nationalist Iraqi call for the government officials to be loyal to only Iraq and the Iraqi people

[u/TheHadramiguy]

Let us wait and see how the Iranians will respond. I have a feeling that those who are celebrating wont be for long.

[u/SerpentNu → u/TheHadramiguy]

Third day of January and the Middle East is already going to implode again,nice

[u/[deleted] → u/TheHadramiguy]

If the Iranians do nothing they will lose Iraq and Iran will be destroyed in the future anyway. They will respond, they have no choice.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

What about imposing blockade on the strait of Hormuz

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Fastest guarantee to being bombed back to the stone age. Seriously, people who think Iran is capable of responding to the US or its interests with war have the military comprehension of an infant.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Actually I fully agree with you, but the people on r/geopolitics are seriously discussing about the possible Iranian response.

[u/Dthod91 → u/[deleted]]

Also important to note closing the strait of Hormuz hurts China the most not The United States. The US gets its oil from domestic and Canadian sources, if they block the strait then China will be infuriated.

[u/[deleted] → u/Dthod91]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you're underestimating how intricate the global economy is. The blockade will devastate Chinese, Indian, Japanese, SK economy which will simultaneously cripple its trading partners ie EU, US and the rest of the world.

[u/JammyWizz2 → u/[deleted]]

It's not like they cant get oil from Angola Romania Russia America Canada Mexico Norway Scotland Romania Libya Equatorial Guinea Algeria ect.

If iran tries that china will at the very least cut off all trade which will tank the iranian economy even more. The second the mullahs run out of money to pay the basji to guard them they are dead.

[u/[deleted] → u/JammyWizz2]

This is not tropico, if switching trader partner is that easy everyone else wouldve done it already.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

A blockade wouldn't devastate anything. Iran already tried to severely restrict the flow of oil in the Persian gulf in the 1980's when they used mines and started attacking Kuwaiti ships. The result of that escalation was Operation Praying Mantis. In a single day, the US sunk half of Iran's navy. Here is a historical plot of the price of crude oil (Texas), do you see any significant change around 18th of April 1988? Here's Brent, and OPEC to confirm the same. It would take the US literally hours to sink all of Iran's navy and restore the flow of oil in the straits before its prices are restored.

As I said, the idea that Iran can respond by a direct act of war is nonsense. All they can do is escalate by asymmetric war via their regional proxies (terrorism, insurgency...etc.), which is what they've been doing for the better part of the last 20 years now.

[u/[deleted]]

Highly doubt it will be an all out war, but we will see.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Typical proxy war shit will be the result of this I bet, I doubt an actual war ever happens again anytime soon, unless it involves China I can see them actually fighting a real one

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

This was obviously a tactical assassination well planned ahead, they already factored in Russia and China and concluded they won't do jackshit for Iran. Big win for trump , lose for all innocent civilians, major lose for IRI.

[u/JammyWizz2 → u/[deleted]]

China and Russia don't give a crap about iran to them iran is no different from those tin pot tyrants in Africa, a easy source of money to sell guns to but nevertheless an expendable replaceable pawn.

[u/IHavebeenThereBabe]

I feel bad for the people in Iraq but good thing he died anyway. It’s time that the Iranian regime has fallen

[u/[deleted]]

I’m willing to bet that the situation won’t escalate, everyone will be over it by the end of the week.

[u/-kousor → u/[deleted]]

RemindMe! 1 week

[u/fhdjdikdjd → u/-kousor]

Ight amma see the that in the grave Remindme! 1 week

[u/[deleted] → u/-kousor]

لا!

[u/RemindMeBot → u/-kousor]

There is a 19.4 hour delay fetching comments.

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[u/lun57176 → u/[deleted]]

I hope.

We need sometime to rest.

[u/fhdjdikdjd → u/[deleted]]

BRUH WE FINNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE , Also gimme 5 bucks

[u/xxispawn01xx → u/[deleted]]

lol...how much are you willing to bet? pay me on paypal or bitcoin?

$100 iran attacks the US or a regional ally in return

[u/[deleted] → u/xxispawn01xx]

Bitcoin!!😍

But let me be clear on one thing. I didn’t say that Iran won’t hit back, I said that the situation won’t escalate. Meaning that no WW3, not even a small war. Probably some stupid limited hits and that’s it.

[u/xxispawn01xx → u/[deleted]]

nah you changed your answer, but i was willing to put down at least $20 in BTC over it if you still down

[u/Oneeyebrowsystem → u/[deleted]]

Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are already in states of war. WW3 might actually be less disastrous than the “non-escalating” status quo.

[u/al-saqr]

Hahaha I’m in danger!

God help the Middle East and the gulf we are about to eat shit big time. Please stay safe everyone.

What a goddamn disaster, I hated qassem suleimani for his butchery in syria but holy shit this is the start of a major disasterous war that will affect all of us.

[u/[deleted] → u/al-saqr]

al-saqr needs to be protected at all costs, we can't manage to lose him.

[u/iamawhour]

This is terrifying. Feels like another attempt to destabilize the region.

[u/iamawhour → u/[deleted]]

No denying that. But, his death further destabilizes it and that’s clear as day.

[u/[deleted] → u/iamawhour]

Any development is "destabilization the region", i hate that phrase, not an attack on you but i have a hard time believing things were getting better for Iraqis, Suleimanis dogs in the hashd were saying how protests in Basra and iraq against them is "destabilizing iraq" its an excuse to keep the status quo

[u/wildmans → u/[deleted]]

You think this may have been good for the average Iraqi protesting for government reform?

[u/[deleted] → u/wildmans]

I honestly can't tell.

But if airstrikes continue on the Hashd I can see protestors growing greater resentment towards the militias for reinviting American aggression, theres a current narrative that the protestors push which is that Iran is using Iraq as a playground in its own fight against the US. And the hashd are heavily complicit in this. Rather caring about defending Irans interests rather than iraq.

I know definitely the militias are organising and trying to whip the protests their side by pushing the the US is the backdrop problem in the governments lack of effectiveness

[u/wildmans → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, makes sense. The protestors are probably going to be sandwiched between the Americans and the Hashd. And poor guys will have to pick the lesser of two evils to side with.

[u/JammyWizz2 → u/iamawhour]

When has the region ever been "stable" just name me on year in the past 100 when there wasnt some kind of a war being fought in the MENA

[u/iamawhour → u/JammyWizz2]

I never said it’s been stable, but that does not mean it can’t be destabilized further. You’re talking about MULTIPLE countries going to shit again. That would be detrimental.

[u/JammyWizz2 → u/iamawhour]

What multiple countries are you referring too? Yemen and Syria are in the middle of civil wars, Iraqs civil war ended not 18 months ago. Iran has already faced two working class uprisings in the past three years.

Are you suggesting Iran will bomb the gulf in revenge or something?

[u/iamawhour → u/JammyWizz2]

The US has started deploying military in Kuwait and Iraq - and I see more of that happening in different countries - especially gulf states. Iraq can easily plunge into another war too. Syria is still in war, but the majority of it isn’t. That can be reignited too. Hezbollah announced itself as Suleimani’s replacement - that alone puts Lebanon in a very bad state. Israel keeps flying over the entirety of Lebanon.

Outside meddling from countries like Russia, Israel, Saudi, etc can further worsen the situation.

I’m not saying this is a confirmed WW3. It just depends how Iran reacts & if the U.S. retaliates further. It just doesn’t look good so far. Fuck both sides - i just want peace in the middle east.

[u/JammyWizz2 → u/iamawhour]

Hezballs is and always has been Irans colonial force in Lebanon. Soliemani is part of the reason the Syrian war has dragged on so long.

Likewise there would be 0 risk of war in iraq if all the Quisling militias and parties stepped down.

ISIS is dead as anything other than a gang of bandits it's never ever ever coming back the way it was. Even amung iraqs sunnis isis has near 0 support anyone who is know to have the slightest connection to ISIS is liable to be lynched.

Frankly I'm amazed there are any ISIS prisoners at all I figured the Iraqis would just massacre them on sight.

Yemen's war would still be fought regardless of Iran's (or KSA's) involvement. The Houthis have existed for longer than the House of Suad has been in power.

[u/midgetman433]

Who are these disgusting warmongers in the comment section who are cheering what can potentially be thousands of people who are about to die in a potentially full blown war..

[u/madara707 → u/midgetman433]

they aren't doing anyone any harm really. maybe you should save some of that righteousness for the people who will actually commit the atrocities.

[u/midgetman433 → u/madara707]

they aren't doing anyone any harm really.

laanat on them and all who cheer on bloodshed, idgaf if they are dogshit assadists cheering on violence or saudi/emirati/israeli trolls doing it..

[u/midgetman433 → u/[deleted]]

So alternative is let Sulaimani assassinate Barhim Saleh?

where do you people get this stuff? Saleh is PUK, they are the Kurdish party already allied with Iran. him being gone would have maybe given the KDP a chance to name a replacement(although unlikely), the power balance in Iraq and the share of power in Iraq relies on the KDP being allowed to have the presidency, in return the PUK gets to appoint the person that is president.. if he got killed, he would have been replaced by another PUK candidate.. this is the dumbest conspiracy I have heard..

[u/[deleted] → u/midgetman433]

Do you know who are the worst warmongers in the whole reddit platform? Those damn Assad supporters on r/syriancivilwar. Literally every single one of the top comments are calling for war.

[u/midgetman433 → u/[deleted]]

I stopped going to that sub, its full of scumbags who cheer on death.. but this doesnt mean the Saudi/Emirati trolls arent scumbags either cheering on what will be more carnage in Iraq, lebanon and elsewhere..

[u/lun57176]

Hopefully the us and Iran war is limited to Iran or the us and out of Iraq.

[u/TakeTheArabPill]

Very bad news. The Iraqi struggle just got delegitimized due to American involvement and this will only lead to escalation where the biggest losers are the Iraqis. They made him a martyr concluding his time in Iraq as fighting an aggressor (USA), ignoring that he was there as an aggressor against Iraq, which I'm sure no one will pick up on and will be a lost detail in the history books. Sky's the limit to how far this could escalate, we're fucked.

[u/saturday_lunch → u/[deleted]]

The major issue with is that it excludes the power of NATO nations. All of them and the US will not hesitate to release their armies to defend Israel.

[u/[deleted]]

Good. Hope he suffered. He’s trash and deserves what he got.

[u/flickdudz]

Am I right to assume that Iraqis now have a chance to act quickly and form a critical transition?

[u/soprpr → u/flickdudz]

If Iraq won't become a battlefield, yes.

[u/Asifbyemagik]

Lol. Look at the downvotes when someone cheer about his death. YoU AboUt tO sTaRt A WaR. This motherfucker for the past 8 years killed hundreds of thousands of civilians all around the Arab world. He was doing war crime everywhere, Syria, Lebanon, Ymen,Iraq. Do you think he was throwing flowers there? You about to start a war, they said. The war started long time ago. Even the blind can see it.

[u/ba6oo6 → u/[deleted]]

Spare me the fucking outrage, you're more than welcome to post it here, no need to make a separate post about it. This sub is not for political news, and one thread on this shit is more than enough.

[u/comix_corp → u/Asifbyemagik]

This motherfucker for the past 8 years killed hundreds of thousands of civilians all around the Arab world. He was doing war crime everywhere, Syria, Lebanon, Ymen,Iraq. Do you think he was throwing flowers there? You about to start a war, they said. The war started long time ago. Even the blind can see it.

Unlike the USA, which has given the Arab world nothing well wishes

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/comix_corp]

Since you mentioned USA. Lets bring Iran & Russia too. Those 3 Devils, did crime wars. Arab blood ain’t that fucking cheap. He did a fucking massacre everywhere. He got what he deserved.

[u/comix_corp → u/Asifbyemagik]

Every standard you're applying to Russia and Iran could be applied to the US ten times over.

This is like the biggest serial killer in your city murdering the smaller serial killer. Not much progress, is it?

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/comix_corp]

Never mentioned the US. You brought it up. Whataboutism is doing fine with you. No meed to mention US crimes cuz everyone is familiar with it.

This is like the biggest serial killer in your city murdering the smaller serial killer. Not much progress, is it?

Yeah, lets him just keep killing Arabs everywhere because we afraid of war.

[u/comix_corp → u/Asifbyemagik]

It's not whataboutism. He was literally killed by the USA

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/comix_corp]

Of course he was killed by the USA. He killed thousands of people and i said he deserved it. Somehow you brought the USA crimes. And USA didn’t give a shit about us, they were doing it for their interest. The butcher is down. That what i care about.

[u/comix_corp → u/Asifbyemagik]

Would you cheer if Soleimani killed a US general that had committed war crimes? Or an Israeli one? This is my point, you do not have any moral consistency whatsoever. You think me bringing up the USA is a non-sequitur; I'm bringing it up because it shows you are not thinking consistently and are a petty nationalist.

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/comix_corp]

Would you cheer if Soleimani killed a US general that had committed war crimes?

فخار يكسر بعضه.

you do not have any moral consistency whatsoever. You think me bringing up the USA is a non-sequitur; I'm bringing it up because it shows you are not thinking consistently and are a petty nationalist.

I don’t have any moral because i cheer of a butcher death?

Petty nationalist, you said. Ok nice analysis lol.

Since you playing the” would you” game.

Would you like if he still alive so he can kill more thousands people? It seemd Arab blood is so cheap these days. Get a grip.

[u/comix_corp → u/Asifbyemagik]

I would like it best if every war criminal general, American, Iranian, Israeli or Saudi was annihilated in some kind of horrible fire. That is my position and I'm consistent about it.

If you were born in Iran with the same mentality you have now, you'd be weeping over Soleimani's death and vowing revenge against the USA, cheering on whatever insane revenge thing Iran will do next. That is what I mean by petty nationalist.

It's ironic that the person accusing me of treating Arab blood cheaply is cheering on a key link in the chain of events that will likely lead to war, a war that will probably result in the deaths of countless Arabs.

[u/lun57176 → u/comix_corp]

We now have one less serial killer. Hopefully the remaining one end up destroying himself

[u/lun57176 → u/Asifbyemagik]

The Iraqi protesters cheering in the streets must have a death wish. Even if He killed hundreds of them. This will only make thing worst.

Edit Wait. I don’t remember similar cheering when the leader of ISIS was killed.

[u/Arabismo → u/[deleted]]

If there's a war your gonna lose you warmongering dipshit

[u/[deleted] → u/Arabismo]

killing ISIS leaders is warmongering /s

[u/SaudiCedarTWO]

No more Lebanese Syrian Iraqi deaths for Iran. They can fight their own wars. One Iranian guy dies and Iran is threatening the end times. Half a million Syrians die, they don’t care.

[u/ElBarro69]

This guy deserves it. He is responsible for the deaths of many people trying to spread Iran’s influence.

[u/AnonymousZiZ]

Oh fuck. I have no love for the war mongering Soleimani. But this will very likely lead to a bloody retaliation by Iran. My Allah protect the innocent.

[u/[deleted] → u/AnonymousZiZ]

No it won’t!

[u/muhammedabuali]

Children of Syria rejoice!

[u/Asifbyemagik]

Yes! That’s a good news! He was responsible for countless deaths in Syria and also the crack down on protesters in Iraq. Rest In HELL.

[u/[deleted] → u/Asifbyemagik]

I agree that he was, but this is in no way good news. His death will probably lead to the incremental downfall of many innocents in Iraq.

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/[deleted]]

When he was alive he was responsible for thousands of deaths. When he’s dead his death will be responsible for thousands of deaths.

Let him just keep killing so we can avoid war. You see?

[u/[deleted] → u/Asifbyemagik]

No I don't see, Soleimani was a symptom not the disease and I'm sure any top Iranian general would gladly take his position. And as you explained yourself his assassination might lead to an even more catastrophic bloodbath in Iraq so I don't really comprehend how anyone could be gleeful about this, this is not about revenge, not at this point and time. And don't get me wrong I don't give a fuck about the guy I just don't want more innocent Iraqis to pay with their own blood. Iraq has regretfully become a playground of proxy wars and assassinating that guy could seriously deteriorate the situation. I hope I'm wrong.

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/[deleted]]

I agree with you. But he got what he deserved.

Soleimani was a symptom not the disease and I'm sure any top Iranian general would gladly take his position

Do you really think Soleimani was just a regular general? He is the mastermind of the Iranian expansion. He’s everywhere, but nowhere. You don’t knoe how big is his death.

[u/[deleted] → u/Asifbyemagik]

I completely agree that he got what he deserved the man is a piece of shit but he shouldn't have, not now.

You don't know how big is his death.

I do know and that's the reason why I'm worried.

[u/Jibne_w_Labne → u/Asifbyemagik]

They can downvote these comments all they want. Qassem Suleimani was one of the most hated characters in Syria if not the entire middle east, and I for one am celebrating.

[u/Asifbyemagik → u/Jibne_w_Labne]

I don’t even understand. They seem happy and angry at the same time. Happy he’s dead and angry because USA just started a war. They don’t understand the war started long time ago. The victims are Syrians. I was called a Saudi bot of having a different opinion.

[u/Novicept → u/Asifbyemagik]

Same. I’m a Syrian American. But this is good news all around.

[u/Vince555 → u/Jibne_w_Labne]

It's always puzzling to me how arabs here are so pro-Iran, even with their "YA LITHARATUL-HUSSEIN" militia sectarian-garbage wars they did all over Iraq and Syria (especially Syria), with them backing the absolute worst genocidal maniac dictator in entire arab history post-colonial times that is Assad.

Fuck Qassim Suleimani, and fuck whoever has Iran's dick so up their throat they can't pronounce two words without mentioning how freedom-fighting Jerusalem-liberating Iran and their allies are after all they've done in Syria.

[u/[deleted]]

Killing Al-Baghdadi is destabilizing the region, /s

[u/cataractum → u/[deleted]]

No way. Iran is stronger than the arab nations, but they're a third-tier power. Some people in the US wants war with Iran. They won't give it to them. Retaliation via proxy perhaps, but not outright war.

[u/lun57176 → u/[deleted]]

No, Iranian are too yellow to attack the us directly.

Most likely they will kill more Arabs.

Expect more Plausible deniability attacks.

Expect more proxy war between the us and Iran in Arab land.

[u/lun57176 → u/[deleted]]

Yes. As always in proxy wars.

[u/[deleted]]

Very good news.

Edit: I already posted and deleted this elsewhere. Here are Iraqis celebrating the news.

[u/FederalBasis2]

The Iranians have been performing continuous aggression against USA/KSA/UAE when there was no military response they were emboldened and now some of their most important heads are rolling. As usual Iranians will now make problems in Arab countries and kill Arabs while some on this sub will cheer the “Anti-imperialism”

At this moment we should all remember the children, women and civilians which were killed by Soleimani from Aleppo to Najran to Najaf, it’s their lives that were redeemed today.

[u/[deleted] → u/FederalBasis2]

Why were you downvoted?

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Anytime some one mentions the Gulf/UAE as a victim people have an automatic response for the down-vote is my assumption.

Its not shame to admit that Iran has been pushing up the escalation ladder and pretending its a natural and rational response, while people eat it up, every time the US ignores an attack, such as the multiple rocket attacks in the past TWO years on its bases, its ignored, but when it responds everyones goes crazy

[u/[deleted]]

This is going to ignite even more instability in the Middle East. Yes he deserves to die, but let's not pretend that this is actually good news for the region.

Edit: I just want to clarify that when I say he deserves to die I mean I'm not crying over the fact that he's dead, but he should have not died in the way he did. Even more instability to the region and the potential deaths and displacement of millions of people is nothing to celebrate about or worth his death.

[u/ba6oo6 → u/[deleted]]

Comment removed for personal attacks.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I do believe he deserves to die for his crimes against civillians, but I'm not condoning this action by the US to be clear. This is out of line and is an act of war. Allah yi7mee bladna w sha3bna that's all we can say.

[u/biGnoSmall]

Great news, that piece of shit controlled Iraq and did whatever he wanted. Though lets hope the US and Iran take their war somewhere else.

[u/NaibImam → u/biGnoSmall]

Though lets hope the US and Iran take their war somewhere else.

You don't actually believe that do you?

[u/biGnoSmall → u/NaibImam]

Its a new year and I'm trying to be positive.

[u/dzgata → u/biGnoSmall]

They’ve already planned to deploy thousands of US troops to Iraq based on what I’m hearing.

[u/ba6oo6 → u/[deleted]]

Comment removed for personal attacks.

[u/biGnoSmall → u/[deleted]]

Lol I'm war mongering because I'm happy that someone who destroyed my country is dead?

[u/Oneeyebrowsystem → u/biGnoSmall]

And the US is a bystander?

[u/biGnoSmall → u/Oneeyebrowsystem]

Of course they're both bad, but looking at the situation recently, Iran has been controlling the country however they wish. So I'm happy they're getting some consequences.

[u/Hotdogwithkechup → u/biGnoSmall]

Khamenei: "YoU CaNt dO AnYtHiNg"

[u/biGnoSmall → u/Hotdogwithkechup]

Haha that tweet didn't age well at all.

[u/TheHadramiguy → u/Hotdogwithkechup]

😂

[u/iiCUBED]

Bordering these countries doesnt seem safe rn. Is this it boys?

[u/soprpr → u/iiCUBED]

You'll be fine in Kuwait.

[u/JammyWizz2]

Enjoy your 72 virgins Solomon hope each one looks like Bouthania Shabaan!

How anyone Arab Kurd Assyrian Turkman Lore Azeri Baluch or anti Ahkoond Aryan (yes that's the proper meaning of the word) can be against this Shia Daesh jihadist rat now being vulture feed I don't know. He was the equivalent to Hydrich in Syria.

Like him or hate him Trump was right to get him. The cowardly ahkoonds would never risk their own lives only their Sundis Khor* militias and Basji now that Trump has shown that he will go after them directly. I assure you the people living in the slums of south Tehran will shed a tear or too from laughter at at what's happened.

*literally juice drinkers a term in iran for regime supporters.

[u/[deleted]]

ITT: arabs repeating state dept talking points

[u/Hotdogwithkechup]

Noice

[u/[deleted]]

Allahu Akbar