ArmInfo. In all likelihood, the assassination of Qasem Soleimani will turn into new proxy wars for the Middle East. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo international expert Suren Sargsyan.
An influential Iranian general, commander of the special forces of the Al-Quds Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Qasem Soleimani was killed on the night of January 2, 3, as a result of a U.S. Air Force strike at the Baghdad airport by order of US President Donald Trump. Together with Soleimani, the deputy head of the Shiite militia "Al-Hashd al-Shaabi" Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and several others were killed. According to the expert, proxy wars involving Iran, the United States and their allies, in all likelihood, in addition to Syria and Iraq, will cover the territory of Lebanon and other neighboring Middle Eastern states. At the same time, Sarkisyan does not expect the development of hostilities directly on the territory of Iran. "The late Suleymani was one of the most influential Iranian generals. And in Tehran, they simply cannot leave the liquidation of such a figure without retaliation. In this light, I expect a proportional response to US actions. And, in all likelihood, this answer will further exacerbate the already troubled situation. in the Middle East, "he said.
Commenting on the motivation of the American president when deciding on the liquidation of the Iranian general, the expert determined it by domestic political circumstances, in particular, the struggle for the presidency. As well as the recent threat of impeachment hanging over Trump.
Note that the killing of Soleimani has already led to an exacerbation of the situation in the Middle East. On January 5, the Iraqi parliament ordered the government to "put an end to the military presence of foreign forces and cease work under the security agreement concluded with the forces of the international anti- terror coalition." In response to this, January 7, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters that the Pentagon has no plans to withdraw troops from Iraq. Esper also said that the United States will follow the "laws of armed conflict" with respect to Iran.