Article snippet: Pentagon leaders on Monday defended the U.S. military strike President Trump ordered against Iranian terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani on January 1, saying that intelligence showed he was planning “imminent” combat operations against U.S. military forces in the region. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon: “Those of us who were involved in the decision-making of that, we would have been culpably negligent to the American people had we not made the decision we made,” he added. Milley also pushed back against reports claiming the intelligence justifying the strike against Soleimani was “razor-thin.” “Very, very few people saw the intelligence,” he said. He added he would be happy at the “appropriate time” to testify to Congress about it. Critics of the Trump administration have accused the president of not thinking through the consequences of the strike against Soleimani. Trump decided on the strike after Iran-controlled Shia militia forces attacked the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. However, both Milley and Defense Secretary Mark Esper said they were well aware of the risks and that it was necessary to protect American lives. “We had a responsibility to act when American lives are threatened and I think that’s a responsible thing to do,” Esper told reporters. He continued: A report earlier in the week claimed that the Pentagon gave the president the option to kill Soleimani not intending for him to choose it. Esper sug... Link to the full article to read more