Iran's top general Soleimani killed in US strike

President Trump made the decision to directly target Qasem Soleimani within the last couple of days as specific intelligence came in that the Iranians had been working against US interests in the region, a senior administration official said.

A congressional source echoed that sentiment telling CNN there was credible intelligence on multiple attacks in the works by Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iraq affiliates but noted that this has been true at various points for a long time. This source did not say what specifically prompted the strike or elevated the immanency of the threat.

The planning process picked up momentum when Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday and presented Trump with intel about multiple threats and Soleimani’s movement – details that ultimately led to the decision to move forward with the strike, two sources told CNN.  

Prior to the strike, White House lawyers in consultation with national security officials put together a "strong rationale" the strike against Soleimani would not lead to war and that the President, as commander in chief, had the authority to not ask for congressional authorization over a matter of self defense, the administration official said. 

That legal rationale formed the basis for not going to Congress for authorization beforehand.

The administration official said kidnapping of US citizens was an ongoing concern but that was not the overarching concern that prompted the strike based on the latest intelligence.

"It was something we were concerned they might do, but not the only thing we were concerned about," the official said.

More on Trump's decision making process: Even though Trump made the decision over the last couple of days, the official said it wasn't a snap decision to launch the strike.

The US had been tracking the Iranian threat streams for several months but didn't respond because they held back on attacks against US citizens. The official would not specify what exactly the latest intelligence showed that ultimately prompted the strike, but it became clear that Soleimani was the ringleader of a specific and imminent threat against the US. The administration felt it was important to send a strong message to Iran that it needed to understand how serious the US was viewing its actions.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that the Trump administration did not consult with top members of Congress before its strike to kill Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Schumer said he feared that serious questions regarding the operation’s legal basis and Iran’s potential response may not have been fully considered. 

"The President does not have the authority for a war with Iran,” the New York Democrat said.

He went on to say that Trump would need congressional approval for a large increase in troops and “and potential hostility over a longer time.” 

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John J. Miller said the NYPD has 14 foreign posts, including in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Qatar, and Jordan, from which they receive information following events like the death of Qasem Soleimani.

When asked about the timing of when the NYPD was notified about the US strike that killed Soleimani, Miller clarified that they found out after the strike had taken place. 

Miller also answered a question from CNN about whether there would be any change in security for a planned march against antisemitism in New York City on Sunday.

Miller said they were in contact with the march's organizers. Security plans for that march were already underway and that since their plans were already comprehensive, additional changes wouldn't be significant. 

"We've had discussions going on through the day about how to enhance that, but it was already fairly complicated in terms of security at the outset, so the changes wont be much," Miller said. 

President Trump's targeted killing of Iran's ruthless military and intelligence chief adds up to his most dangerous gamble yet with other peoples' lives and his own political fate.

By killing Qasem Soleimani in Iraq, Trump committed the United States to a risky open conflict that at best could stop short of all-out war with Iran that could cause national security and economic shocks in the United States and across the globe.

The administration argues that it has taken one of the world's worst mass murderers and terrorists off the battlefield. But given Iran's easy access to soft targets, the Middle East and even Europe suddenly look a lot less safe for Americans, including US troops Trump may be even more tempted to haul home.

Two days into his re-election year, Trump — who rails against Middle Eastern entanglements — has plunged the United States into another one, with vast and unknown consequences. It challenges a presidency that is already alienating half of his country, following his impeachment and unrestrained behavior in office.

Trump may find it impossible to rally the nation behind him to weather the crisis. He has also scrambled strategic and moral expectations of the United States — ordering the killing of a senior foreign leader of a nation with whom the US is not formally at war — albeit an official regarded by Washington as a terrorist.

Keep reading.

The US will deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as tensions with Iran mount following the airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, a US defense official told CNN.

The additional troops will come from the Immediate Response Force of the 82nd Airborne Division. CNN has previously reported that these forces had been placed on prepare-to-deploy orders and would be sent to the region if the situation merited it. 

Following the disturbance at the US embassy in Baghdad, the US deployed 750 troops from the same unit and said that additional deployments were possible. 

The new deployment will encompass the rest of the brigade, typically about 3,000 soldiers.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani says the United States and Iran should “solve their disputes through dialogue" following the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Ghani went on to assure Afghans and neighboring countries that Afghanistan will not be the starting point of any attacks "against a third country or other regional countries," a point he emphasized in a call with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Watch below: Schumer criticizes Trump for lack of advance notice

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor moments ago that "no one should shed a tear" over the death of Qasem Soleimani, the top general and one of the most powerful men in Iran.

However, Schumer criticized the lack of advance notification from President Trump on the attack.

Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif, spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said the killing of General Qasem Soleimani was America's "revenge" after Soleimani defeated ISIS.

In an interview with Iranian state-funded Press TV, Sharif said that "was a major blow to the US investments and the investments by their allies."

"And the downfall of Daesh (ISIS) harmed the Americans so they were after taking revenge from General Soleimani for this failure that they experienced," he said.  

Sharif also referenced the downing of a US drone by Iran in June, "so two major defeats for the Americans and this showed that the Islamic Republic of Iran has major capacities for punishing the Americans and taking revenge from them."

Sharif warned of Soleimani's killing, "Americans should await anger and wrath by the resistance front that is extended through the world of Islam."

The spokesman concluded: "In an optimistic perspective, I can tell you that there was great developed hatred towards Americans in Iraq and this martyr has increased the Iraqi people's hatred toward Americans and that will eventually lead to the withdrawal of Americans from West Asia." 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, speaking on the floor, said there will be a briefing later today for key Senate staffers on the drone strike in Iraq that killed Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani.

"We are working to arrange a classified briefing for all senators next week," he said.

McConnell added that he is asking senators to withhold judgment about the raid until then.

Watch: