Trump said that Iran contacted him before the strikes in Iraq in response to the assassination of Soleimani

"This is respect."

Trump claims Iran contacted him before

strikes in Iraq in response to Soleimani's assassination

Former US :

President Donald Trump claimed Iran had contacted him prior to

• strikes in Iraq in response to the assassination of Revolutionary 

• Guard Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani

• saying it was a matter of "respect."

In an interview with Fox News :

he reported that :

Iranians had contacted him to inform him that Americans would not be targeted

and would deliberately miss their targets, noting that Israel was part of

the plans to assassinate Soleimani.

He said:

"Iran has been under control.

You know we hit them hard because of something they did, and they had to

respond :

and they feel like they have to do it and I understand that. You know

they called me to tell me, "We'll hit a certain location, but we won't share it. 

It'll be out of the ocean."

He added: 

"They told us that, and we knew they weren't going to beat us. 

And now I've revealed that. They directed those missiles and said,

"Please don't attack us, we won't hit you. This was respect, we had respect ".

Trump stressed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been

an essential part of the operation against Soleimani for a long time

noting that they had worked together on many issues in that period.

After Israel's last-minute withdrawal, Trump persuaded the generals to carry out

the operation, saying, "When we dropped Soleimani, Israel was supposed to

share that :

• but two days before the attack, they said, 'We can't do this

• and then I turned to our general and I said,' Can we do this? 

•  Yes, we can do it, sir. It's up to you, then I said let's do it. "

According to CNN :

Trump's claims that all Iranian missiles missed the base are false. 11 Iranian

missile hit the Ayn al-Assad base targeted by Iran in the retaliatory attack.

The fact that the missiles hit al-Qaeda was confirmed by satellite imagery

by the Pentagon, and by CNN's visit to al-Qaeda days after the attack.

Today

the network stated from the scene: 

"Ten of the 11 missiles struck United States positions at Iraq's sprawling desert

airbase.

One hit a remote position on Iraq's military side. 

The Iranian missiles, which used guidance systems

were able to tear down sensitive United States military positions

damaging a special forces compound and two barracks

as well as the housing unit of United States drone operators. "

While no American soldier was killed

more than 100 soldiers were diagnosed with mild brain injuries.

General Mark Milley

who was then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

told reporters that he believed Iran's intention was to kill

and credited the "defensive tactics used by our forces" with not killing.