Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed late on Thursday

Iranian Revolutionary Guard General Qassem Soleimani. Photo: AP

The attack came amid tensions with the United States after a New Year’s Eve attack by Iran-backed militias on the US Embassy in Baghdad. The two-day embassy attack which ended Wednesday prompted President Donald Trump to order about 750 US soldiers deployed to the Middle East.