Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
President Trump. Photo: Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
President Trump was interrupted during campaign planning at his Mar-a-Lago resort last Sunday and pulled into another meeting which resulted in the final call to authorize a drone strike that killed Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani, the New York Times reports.
Why now: Officials said the decision to strike Soleimani emerged in response to the death of an American contractor the Friday before Christmas in Iraq by Iranian-sponsored militia groups. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed Soleimani was "actively" planning an attack on Americans, the Washington Post reports.
The state of play: Trump gave the U.S. military broad range to kill Soleimani the next time there was an opportunity after months of intensifying rocket attacks against U.S. bases in Iraq, Politico reports.
- Trump spoke with advisers throughout the week leading up to the Iraqi drone strike, receiving input on the decision, per Politico.
- Pompeo said U.S. officials had “an intelligence-based assessment that drove our decision-making process,” and it changed their calculations about the "intelligence flow" the U.S. collected about Soleimani in Iraq, Politico writes.
- Officials told Trump they felt Soleimani was" taunting" the U.S. by going to Baghdad with "impunity," the Post writes.
- The U.S. "tracked Soleimani’s movements for several days, keeping Trump apprised, and decided that their best opportunity to kill him would be near the Baghdad airport, the senior administration official said," according to the Post.
- The White House notified close congressional allies about the attack ahead of time, but, per Politico, left Democrats uninformed.
Protests at the U.S. embassy in Iraq sparked memories of the 2012 Benghazi attack with Trump declaring, "Our people will be protected. This will not be Benghazi," Politico notes.
- Officials who spoke with Trump allegedly said they felt a decisive response to the killing of the American contractor and attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq would make him look stronger than President Obama, the Post writes.
Go deeper: