There was serious debate within the administration leading up to the strike, officials familiar with the matter said, describing an overarching concern that killing Iran's military leader would lead to dramatic and unpredictable escalation. The morning after the strike, Trump abandoned plans to play a round of golf and instead spent time surveying his orbit of advisers on the kill order. In photographs posted by McCarthy following the strike, Trump is seen on his dining patio across from Dan Scavino, his social media director, who helped Trump post his early response to the strike: a low-res image of the American flag. Expecting a responseThe strike against Soleimani amounts to a far riskier move, one that most US officials believe could lead to a response from Iran. John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, wrote on Twitter Friday the attack was "long in the making."

Source: CNN January 03, 2020 22:13 UTC