Dramatic footage 'shows moment US drone missile blew up Iranian general Qasem Soleimani' in Baghdad

CCTV footage reportedly showing the drone strike that killed two leading Iranian generals
Ahad TV
Luke O'Reilly3 January 2020

Dramatic footage reportedly shows the moment a US drone missile blew up Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

General Soleimani was killed by a US airstrike at Baghdad airport in Iraq in a move authorised by US President Donald Trump.

He was head of Tehran's elite Quds Force who spearheaded military operations in the Middle East.

The semi-official Fars news agency also named Brigadier General Hussein Jafari Nia and Major-General Hadi Taremi among the dead, along with Colonel of the Guards Shahroud Mozaffari Nia and Captain Waheed Zamanian.

Iran's public broadcaster Ahad TV released CCTV reportedly showing the strike on Friday.

They captioned the video: "The moment of the brutal American aggression and the assassination of the two martyr leaders Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis."

In the black and white footage, a missile appears to hit a row of cars parked at Baghdad airport.

The US Defence Department said it killed Soleimani because he "was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region".

It also accused Soleimani of approving the attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

Several experts have warned of retaliations from Iran following the US strike.

Outgoing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the "serious and dangerous escalation" as an "assassination" and called for the UK to stand up to the "belligerent actions" from the US.

Jeremy Corbyn described the strike as an 'assassination'
AP

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab issued a statement saying the Government had "always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force led" by the general.

"Following his death, we urge all parties to de-escalate. Further conflict is in none of our interests," Mr Raab added.

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