Thanks for joining us for a special edition of the Daily Signal Podcast.

We're back early from our Christmas hiatus because of some major developments in the Middle East, U.S. forces have

killed General Kasem Salimani in Baghdad. He was the leader of Iran's elite

Koot's force. Joining me to unpack it all is Jim Carifano, the Heritage Foundation's Vice President

for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies.

Jim, thanks for your time.

Hey, great to be with you.

So we know now that President Trump actually ordered this attack on Iran's top general.

Why did he take out the general in Baghdad?

Yeah, so, well, first of all, um, Suleamani is probably the world's most dangerous terrorist.

He runs the Kuds Force. This is part of the Iranian Republican Guard, which is basically responsible

for all the covert operations terrorist acts

managing the surrogates overseas personally responsible for

for thousands of deaths including hundreds of Americans who died because of IED attacks.

And the Iranians have actually attacking U.S. people in Iraq. Now for over a year the official number is there's been 19

attacks the the real number is there's much much more than that so all the

stuff in the embassy which proceeded this that was just the latest attack.

But the better question is why now, right?

Sulemani's been around forever, right?

He's been designated by the US as a head of a foreign terrorist organization forever.

So here's what happened.

When Obama pulled out of Iraq back in 2011 and ISIS metastasized, right? We went back in, the Iraqis led us back in,

...