“Soleimani didn’t believe that the US would kill him in Iraq, he thought Americans would try to kill him inside Iran. So he was taking security measures inside Iran but not in Iraq” Hadi Al Ameri the head of the Badr Organization says in an exclusive interview with BBC Persian 1

Ameri says he had asked Soleimani not to come that night as the situation was tense after that a group of protesters (mainly PMF supporters) attacked the US embassy during the funeral ceremony of Kataib Hizbollah members who were killed in a US strike. 2

According to Al Ameri, the then PM Adel Abdul Mahdi had called Soleimani telling him that he wants to share some ideas with him and that’s why Soleimani had changed his plan and come to Syria. “He was supposed to go to Lebanon and Syria only and not to Iraq after we warned him” 3

Correction “Soleimani changed his plan and came from Syria to Iraq”