‘US told Israelis’ of plan to attack

ISRAEL was given advanced warning of plans to assassinate Iran’s Major General Qassem Soleimani, it was claimed last night.

The revelation comes amid concern at Washington’s failure to alert the UK to its plans for the drone strike.

It has also led to threats from Tehran against Jerusalem.

Iran and Israel maintained warm relations for almost four decades before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that imposed a theocratic Shiite Muslim regime that has called for “death to Israel”.

Israeli commentator Barak Ravid said: “Our assessment is the United States informed Israel about this operation, apparently a few days ago.”

Precision

An Israeli army officer reportedly said the precision attack on Soleimani in Baghdad, which killed several key commanders, “did not come as a surprise”.

Soleimani and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary regime stand accused of masterminding or backing numerous terrorist attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised President Trump for “acting swiftly, forcefully and decisively.”

He added: “Israel stands with the US… for peace, security and self-defence.”

Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, has offered its condolences to Iran, saying that Soleimani had “played a major and critical role in supporting Palestinian resistance at all levels”.

It said the killing “opens the doors of the region to all possibilities, except calm and stability”.