ABSTRACT
On January 3, 2020, American drone-launched missiles killed Major General Qassem Soleimani, shortly after his landing at Baghdad International Airport, in what some consider to be the most significant targeted killing of the twenty-first century to date. Israel’s targeted killing policy during the first decade of the twenty-first century was a key factor in mitigating Palestinian suicide terror attacks generated against Israel in general and from Gaza most specifically. Many believe that the targeting of high value ideological leaders, primarily in Gaza, was effective in decreasing subsequent suicide bombings fatalities. The targeting of Soleimani will hopefully have a similar effect. By clarifying that Iran and its senior officials will be held accountable for terrorism directly carried out by Iran and by its proxies, the United States took an important step in the right direction.
