(RepublicanJournal.org) – At least 90 people have been confirmed dead after two explosions interrupted a memorial ceremony near the tomb of fallen Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. ISIS claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks, which took place on the four-year anniversary of the Islamic militant’s assassination.
On January 3, 2020, Former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Qassem Soleimani died in a drone attack after President Donald Trump ordered an assassination strike on him and several other militants. The US leader reported the target as contributing to millions of deaths and posing a threat to future interests, but Soleimani had been a hero to many Islamic fundamentalists, and Iran vowed to take revenge over the strike.
The recent attack at the memorial will likely only add fuel to the fire. The event, which was the result of explosives placed in two briefcases and detonated remotely, occurred roughly 2,300 feet (0.62 miles) from Soleimani’s tomb. With tensions in the Middle East already running high, the act could serve to spark even greater conflict throughout the heavily Islamic region. Al Jazeera reports that just a day earlier, a drone attack took out Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, Lebanon. No one has stepped up to claim responsibility for that strike, either, but local authorities are also blaming Israel.
Iran has kept its direct involvement in the jihadists’ war against Israel minimal, opting instead to fund proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. These groups aren’t afraid to expand their battlefronts, meaning any proven aggression from Israel could eventually mean war with not only Gaza but also Lebanon and/or possibly other nearby countries.
The October 7 massacre — which left over 1,200 people dead in the primarily Jewish nation at the hands of Hamas militants — led to an aggressive response from Israel that continues even now. So far, an estimated 22,185 Palestinians have died since the counter-attacks began.
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