US tried to kill Iranian in Yemen at same time Iranian general was killed in Iraq

The same day Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in Iraq, American forces also carried out an unsuccessful strike targeting a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to The Washington Post.

Anonymous U.S. officials told The Post that the mission targeted Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and top military commander for Iran’s Quds Force who has been active in Yemen.

If true, the second operation would raise questions over whether the airstrike against Soleimani was part of an effort to take down the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or to prevent an imminent attack on Americans, as the White House has cited.

Lawmakers in both parties are still searching for a rationale behind the strike ordered by President Donald Trump. The House of Representatives on Thursday voted to limit Trump from ordering further military action against Iran, though the vote was largely symbolic and done mostly along party lines.