US President Donald Trump has said the US killed Iran's top military commander Qasem Soleimani "to stop a war, not to start one".
He said Soleimani's "reign of terror is over" after the strike at Baghdad airport in Iraq today.
BBC News reports Soleimani spearheaded Iran's Middle East operations as head of the Quds Force which specialises in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations.
Soleimani is sometimes described as the country's second most influential person.
The strike was directed by US President Donald Trump.
A statement from President @realDonaldTrump: pic.twitter.com/Jfy4GCLdif
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2020
Iran has vowed "severe revenge" on those responsible for his death.
The killing marks a major escalation in tensions between the two counties.
Iraqi state television says there has been another air strike in the country, 24 hours after the killing of Soleimani.
[Source: BBC News]
