Top US general: Soleimani was planning 'campaign' of violence against US

But he said the risk of inaction exceeded the risk that killing him might dramatically escalate tensions with Tehran.

US Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley meeting with his Israeli counterparts (photo credit: IDF)
US Army General and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley meeting with his Israeli counterparts
(photo credit: IDF)
The United States had "clear, unambiguous" intelligence that a top Iranian general was planning a significant campaign of violence against the United States when it decided to strike him, the top US general said on Friday, warning Qasem Soleimani's plots "might still happen."

Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a small group of reporters "we fully comprehend the strategic consequences" associated with the strike against Soleimani, Tehran's most prominent military commander.

But he said the risk of inaction exceeded the risk that killing him might dramatically escalate tensions with Tehran.

"Is there risk? Damn right, there's risk. But we're working to mitigate it," Milley said from his Pentagon office.