The killing of Qasem Soleimani unleashed immediate fears of war — even of World War III — but if no further shots are fired, Thursday’s airstrikes in Baghdad will nonetheless generate momentous consequences.
The big picture: Iran has lost its best military strategist, and America has eliminated a man it saw as a singularly destructive actor in the region.
What to watch…
1. The U.S. military presence in Iraq. 2. Iran’s announcement yesterday that it will now enrich uranium. 3. The Iranian regime is riding a tide. 4. A deepening crisis with Iran will crowd out other priorities, including a “great power competition” with Russia and China, not to mention ISIS. 5. The killing of a top Iranian official in a foreign country could not only put U.S. generals and officials in the Middle East at risk..
Behind the scenes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Security Cabinet today that Israel was not involved in Soleimani’s killing and must not be dragged into the escalating conflict, two ministers who attended the meeting tell Axios contributor Barak Ravid.