美国国防部 (U.S. Department of Defense) 官网于当地时间 2020 年 01 月 02 日发布声明，证实美军在伊拉克采取行动击杀了伊朗圣城旅指挥官 Qasem Soleimani (卡西姆·苏莱曼尼)。美国国防部在声明中未提及击杀的具体手段，但有媒体报道称，美军是在苏莱曼尼乘车离开伊拉克巴格达国际机场驶上一条公路时，通过 MQ-9 “捕食者”无人机发射了三枚“地狱火”导弹精确命中了两辆黑色现代汽车，苏莱曼尼当时正在其中一辆车里。
该声明截图如下：
Image Title: Statement by the Department of Defense
Image From: https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2049534/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/
声明原文如下：
Immediate Release
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2049534/statement-by-the-department-of-defense/
Statement by the Department of Defense
Jan. 2, 2020
At the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.
General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region. General Soleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more. He had orchestrated attacks on coalition bases in Iraq over the last several months – including the attack on December 27th – culminating in the death and wounding of additional American and Iraqi personnel. General Soleimani also approved the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that took place this week.
This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.
EOF