Syrians in the rebel-held city of Idlib celebrated the fatal airstrike against Iranian terror chief Major General Qasem Soleimani on Friday with pastries.
Soleimani was formally the head of the Quds Force, a subdivision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. A U.S. airstrike eliminated Soleimani and at least three other militiamen at Baghdad’s International Airport on Thursday, in a major blow to the Iranian regime just days after members of Iranian proxy militias attempted to storm the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
His death was reportedly widely celebrated in the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib, where Soleimani oversaw a brutal military intervention aimed at crushing all opposition to the Assad regime, often using methods such as torture and starvation to force his victims into capitulation.
In one video shared on social media, people are seen distributing sweets to fellow citizens to celebrate his killing.
In the Iraqi city of Basra, where Iranian-backed militias have recently launched a crackdown against anti-government protesters, people were filmed dancing in the streets, while others showed their appreciation by baking cakes thanking the United States.
The strike was strongly condemned by the Assad regime, with state media quoting a Foreign Ministry source in Damascus as saying he was “certain that this cowardly U.S. aggression will only strengthen their determination to follow in the path of the resistance’s martyred leaders.”
The unnamed official added that the strike represented “a serious escalation of the situation” in the Middle East and formed “part of the (US) policy aiming to create tensions and fuel conflict in countries in the region.”
In a statement Thursday evening, the Department of Defense announced that Soleimani had perished, alleging that he was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
Assad sent a letter of condolence to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he praised Soleimani for his support of the Syrian Arab Army and their Shiite-dominated foreign proxies.
“The Syrian people will not forget that he stuck by the side of the Syrian Arab army,” Assad wrote in his letter. “The memory of the martyr Soleimani will remain immortal in the conscience of the Syrian people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, America’s closest ally in the Middle East, credited President Donald Trump for “acting swiftly, forcefully, and decisively” in ordering Soleimani’s assassination.
“Just as Israel has the right of self-defense, the United States has exactly the same right,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “Qassem Soleimani is responsible for the death of American citizens and many other innocent people. He was planning more such attacks. President Trump deserves all the credit for acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.”
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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