White House reporter Anne Gearan and Middle East reporter Miriam Berger answered readers’ questions about Soleimani, the attack that killed him, and what it means for the future. Read the full list.

Q: Does the president have to consult Congress before acting against an individual or country that poses an imminent danger (i.e. actually attacking U.S. citizens), or is consultation with Congress just good management and leadership? What does the law say in these cases?

— D.F.

A: No, the president is not legally bound to consult with Congress when an act of national defense is deemed an emergency. Congress is given the constitutional power to declare war, but no U.S. wars have been congressionally “declared” for decades. Instead, the president is given leeway to conduct warlike actions that everyone calls a war but that Congress doesn’t have to endorse with a vote. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) among others has railed against this for years, essentially calling it both a usurpation of power by the White House and an act of cowardice on the part of Congress. Past presidents have almost always found it prudent to consult with or inform at least a small group of national security leaders in Congress. — Anne Gearan

Q: Who will replace Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, and what is that person’s background?

— A. Hose

A: Iran’s supreme leader has already appointed Soleimani’s deputy, Gen. Ismail Qaani, as the slain commander’s replacement and vowed that the Quds Force will carry on as before. Like Soleimani, Qaani is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war that raged from 1980 to 1988. From there, he rose in the ranks to become the deputy commander of the Quds Force. In another similarity with Soleimani, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Qaani in 2012 for his support of Iran’s allies in the region. Unlike Soleimani, Qaani does not have a cultlike aura surrounding him. — Miriam Berger