LANGHORNE, PACongressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the death of Qasem Soleimani.

“Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s Quds force, is directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen and servicewomen. Soleimani perpetuated the Iranian regime’s destabilizing proxy wars across the Middle East and carried out numerous terrorist attacks on behalf of Iran—the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. According to the Defense Department, Soleimani was imminently plotting even more attacks on American servicemen and servicewomen, and therefore the air strike was needed to protect our American soldiers, diplomats, and civilians serving in critical missions in the region. Iran’s attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, their mounting aggression against the United States in the region, and their direct and imminent threats to Americans serving in critical missions abroad cannot be ignored.”

###