It doesn’t matter if we should be there or not. The fact of the matter is that we ARE there. That is the circumstance that President Trump has to deal with.
And these strikes send a message to Iran, and ANYONE else who even considers attacking any other US Embassy.
I would also add that none of us have access to the intelligence that lead to this decision. General Petraeus, who is not known to be a Trump supporter, recently pointed this out.
There are some reports that Soliemani was planning attacks in Iraq that would involve taking US hostages.
What would you do to prevent a repeat what happened in 1979?
Actually, the U.S. should be sending a much stronger message to IRAQ. The responsibility for protecting an embassy ultimately falls on the host country, doesn't it?
All reports I've seen indicate that the mutants storming the embassy were Iranian-backed Iraqi militants, not Iranians. And what were those Iranian military leaders doing in Iraq when they were smoked by the Hellfire missiles, anyway? I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that they were not invaders, but were operating freely in Iraq because they were welcomed there with open arms.
1. Remove all embassy personnel.
2. Booby-trap the embassy and vacate it.
I would also add that none of us have access to the intelligence that lead to this decision. General Petraeus, who is not known to be a Trump supporter, recently pointed this out.
That's a fair point, but after what I've seen from our State Dept. and intelligence agencies over the last 3+ years I'd say any "intelligence" they provide is totally worthless and is almost certainly being used to promote a political agenda that has nothing to do with the best interests of the citizens of the United States.