On January 2, Iran organised a mock funeral to mark the one year anniversary of the assassination of Iran’s top general, General Qassem Soleimani, and senior Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed by a US drone attack on January 3, 2020. At the time, US officials claimed that Soleimani posed an “imminent threat” to the nation, as he was actively planning to attack American diplomats in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.
In fact, the Pentagon holds the Quds Force–an elite unit in Iran's Revolutionary Guards that Soleimani led–responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American coalition service members, and for attacks on coalition bases in Iraq. Soleimani reported to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and was widely recognized as the head of Iran's expanding ambitions in the Middle East. Under his watch, Iran conducted proxy wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Iran backs Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war by arming the Shia Muslim fighters, supports a Shia-dominated paramilitary force against the Islamic State in Iraq, and holds considerable sway over the Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Trump administration alleges that the Quds Force supports anti-American terrorist groups in the Middle by providing them with funds, training, and weapons. In fact, in April 2018, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards, under which the Quds Force falls, as a terrorist organization.
At the time, Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister, was quick to label the attack “extremely dangerous and a foolish escalation” and “an act of international terrorism”. Since then, Iran has threatened retaliation on multiple occasions. At the same time, Soleimani’s death sparked an outpouring of public support for the Iranian government and anger against the United States (US).
Hence, on Saturday, thousands of angry mourners marched towards the Baghdad airport, where the strike killed both the leaders. Posters of the assassinated leaders were plastered across the streets, and tents were set up to serve food and drinks for the participants. The scene of the bombing was turned into a shrine-like area, sealed off by red ropes with a photo of Soleimani and al-Muhandis in the middle, as mourners lit candles.
Esmail Ghaani, who replaced Soleimani as the leader of the Quds force after the general’s death, has warned Washington to prepare for a counter-attack to avenge Soliemani’s death. While addressing the mourners at Tehran University a day before the mock funeral, Ghaani said that “From inside your own house, there may emerge someone who will retaliate for your crime….American mischief will not deter the Quds force from carrying on its resistance path.”
In addition to Ghaani’s threat, on Sunday, two former Mossad chiefs and former national security council chief of Israel told The Jerusalem Post that Iran had failed to avenge the assassination of one of its most senior officials in 2020 and likely would not do so prior to US President-Elect Joe Biden taking office. However, as a precaution, Washington temporarily called back the US envoy from its embassy in Baghdad last month.
There exists a huge public appetite for Iran to punish America for Soleimani’s killing. Following the attack last year, Iran immediately launched more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US and coalition troops. The strike targeted the Al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s Anbar province as well another US base in the northern city of Erbil.
Observers argue that the previous attacks were carried out primarily to appease the mourners within Iran, and not to provoke the Trump administration to escalate the situation to a full-scale war. However, Iran is known for its ‘patience’ and analysts have warned that the US is under a threat of a big attack in the coming months.
While talking to The Jerusalem Talk, Shabtai Shavit, a former Mossad chief, stated that “they (Iran) won’t forget to retaliate. Maybe the timing will be not when they are in negotiations with the Americans…They would be foolish to carry out an attack [during negotiations] just because they have an opportunity. But they are very shrewd people, you can’t underestimate them.”
Thousands March to Mark One Year Anniversary of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani’s Death
Esmail Ghaani, current commander of Quds forces, warned the US to prepare for an attack to avenge Soleimani’s death.
January 5, 2021
SOURCE: TIMES OF REPUBLIC