During the Christmas holidays, President Donald Trump visited his Florida resort with top national security advisers. A few days earlier, a missile from a suspected Iran-funded terrorist group attacked an US base in Iraq, killing an American contractor and injuring several others.
Donald Trump's advisers have offered a series of solutions to respond, including the most dramatic: Eliminate General Qasem Soleimani - the head of Iran's elite Quds force.
Donald Trump immediately wanted to kill General Soleimani, according to AP. This is a decision that his predecessors have avoided and is a plan that could spark tensions with Tehran.
Some advisers expressed concern about the legality of an airstrike because there was no evidence of an imminent attack targeting US citizens. Therefore, other options were discussed in the following days with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and national security adviser Robert O'Brien, including bombing the rebel group's base accused of killing a US contractor.
But Donald Trump has remained focused on the plan to kill General Soleimani despite not longing a desire to increase US military participation around the world.
On January 2, US officials reported that Iranian general Soleimani was plotting against the Americans. The Pentagon has accused Soleimani and Quds special forces of being involved in attacks on alliance bases in Iraq in recent months, including the December 27 attack that killed a US contractor and Iranian soldiers. The Iranian general has also been blamed for the December 31 attack on the US Embassy in Baghdad and for hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries during his command.
Donald Trump's decision to launch a drone attack has caused a stir across the Middle East and significantly escalated tensions between the US and Iran.
According to AP, after Donald Trump chose to kill General Soleimani, top security officials discussed a suitable place to conduct airstrikes. Most did not want to attack General Soleimani in Iraq, citing the presence of US soldiers there and the already difficult situation on the ground. Some US officials said it should be done when General Soleimani is traveling to Lebanon or Syria. However, after intelligence reported that Soleimani could arrive in Baghdad on January 2, US authorities decided that an attack at the airport was the best option.
This is not the first time Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago has been the setting for a national security Nail, according to AP.
In February 2017, Donald Trump consulted with Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to consider a reaction to North Korea's missile test. Two months later, President Trump approved a US missile attack on Syria right before welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to Mar-a-Lago.
