Iran moved quickly to replace the assassinated leader of the elite Quds Force with one of his top deputies and preserve the networks Qassem Soliemani had built before a U.S. airstrike killed him in the early hours of Friday morning. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Esmail Ghaani to the role hours after a U.S. drone attacked a Gen. Soleimani’s convoy shortly after leaving Baghdad’s international airport. The attack eliminated the main architect of Iran’s foreign forays, ranging from the propping up Lebanon’s Hezbollah...

Source: Wall Street Journal January 03, 2020 11:25 UTC