Defense Secretary Mark Esper Reveals Soleimani Assessment He Received From Top Official

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Sunday about a key assessment that he received from a top level U.S. intelligence official that he said was “compelling” when decisions were apparently made about the operation to take out Qassem Soleimani.

“We are safer today than we were just a few weeks ago,” Esper told CBS News. “Why? Because we took out the world’s foremost terrorist leader, Qassem Soleimani, who had the blood of hundreds of American dead service members on his hands. Secondly, we restored deterrence with Iran without any United States casualties. And, third, we reassured our partners and allies in the region that we will stand up and defend our interests.”