US drone kills Qasem Soleimani, top IRGC Quds Force commander near Baghdad

A US MQ-9 Reaper drone strike killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi PMF deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad International Airport. Trump had conditionally authorized the killing seven months earlier (June 2019). Israel provided key intelligence, including tracking Soleimani's cellphone. The administration initially cited an "imminent threat" but the legally mandated Congressional memo did not specifically use that language. Trump later claimed Israel was supposed to participate but "let us down" by pulling out. Israeli officials said they were never part of the operational plan but provided intelligence. The strike triggered Iranian ballistic missile retaliation on January 8 (16 missiles at Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, resulting in 109 US personnel diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries). This was the most significant military escalation during Trump's first term and a major step toward the 2026 war.