Iran vows revenge after U.S. kills top general

Iran’s top security and intelligence commander was killed early today in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport that was authorized by President Trump, American officials said. It was Mr. Trump’s most significant use of military force to date.

The death of the commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, was a major blow to Iran and a sharp escalation in Mr. Trump’s campaign against Tehran. Several officials from Iraqi militias backed by Iran were also killed in the attack.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called for three days of public mourning and then retaliation. U.S. officials were preparing for the possibility of cyberattacks and terrorism.

Go deeper: General Suleimani, who was seen as a potential leader of Iran, designed nearly every significant operation by the country’s intelligence and military forces over the past two decades. The U.S. accuses him of having caused the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers in Iraq.