US Targeted Second Iran Commander On Day Of Soleimani Killing, Says Report

The U.S. military tried to kill a second Iranian commander on the same night that they killed Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani, a report said.

The U.S. targeted Abdul Reza Shahlai, a key commander an financier of the Quds Force, in Yemen, on the night of Jan. 2, the Washington Post reported quoting sources. The Houthi militia in Yemen is financed and suported by the Iranians in their battle against a Saudi-led coalition.

The report did not give any details on how a strike was attempted but the Pentagon later acknowledged that it had seen reports of an airstrike in Yemen. The State Department had in December announced a reward of up to $15 million for information on the financial activities, networks and associates of Shahlai.

Shehlai was allegedly behind a 2011 attempt to kill Adel Al-Jubeir, the then Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. in New York. His cousin Arbabsiar is now serving time in prison for aiding the plot.

Shahlai was also involved in the kidnapping and murder of five American soldiers outside Karbala, Iraq, on Jan. 20, 2007.

The Pentagon declined to offer any details on the strike. "We have seen the report of a Jan. 2 airstrike in Yemen, which is long-understood as a safe space for terrorists and other adversaries to the United States. The Department of Defense does not discuss alleged operations in the region," said Pentagon spokeswoman Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich in a statement.

The sources quoted in the report said they weren't aware of any broader operation to take out the Iranian military leadership at this time.

News of the targeting of a second Iranian commander comes even as the House of Representatives has raised questions about the President's powers to order such a strike without congressional approval.

The Trump administration has said Soleimani was taken out as he was planning multiple imminent attacks on U.S. interests. Trump said Soleimani was planning to target U.S. embassies.