Trump says Israel pulled out of Soleimani strike hours before attack

WASHINGTON, United States — U.S. President Donald Trump disclosed new details about the 2020 killing of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, saying Israel withdrew from the operation hours before the strike on Baghdad airport. Trump said Israel had worked with the United States on the operation for 30 days but informed Washington one day beforehand that it would not take part. U.S. forces then carried out the strike alone, which Trump described as a flawless attack. Trump described Soleimani as a "smart and extremely powerful general" and held him responsible for the deaths and injuries of thousands of U.S. service members. He claimed Soleimani was planning to target five U.S. military bases and that the decision to assassinate him was made one week before the strike was carried out. Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, was killed on Jan. 3, 2020, in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport. The killing marked a sharp escalation in U.S.-Iran tensions and prompted an Iranian missile attack on U.S. positions in Iraq days later.