This archive report was first published on 3 January 2020.
On January 3, 2020, a US air strike in Iraq killed General Qasem Soleimani, Iran's most powerful military commander.
At 62 years old, Soleimani had been spearheading Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran's elite Quds Force.
The strike, ordered by US President Donald Trump, targeted Soleimani and other Iran-backed militia figures at Baghdad airport.
According to reports, Soleimani had flown in from Lebanon or Syria and was leaving the airport in two cars when the US drone strike hit.
At least seven people are believed to have died in the attack, including Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi militia leader and commander of the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed 'severe revenge' against those responsible for the attack, announcing three days of national mourning.
The US has long considered Soleimani and the Quds Force to be terrorists, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.
Global oil prices surged by over 4% in the wake of the attack, as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated.
