National Security Advisor: It’s ‘Consistent’ With Intelligence to ‘Assume’ Soleimani Was Planning Embassy Attack

Amid continued scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s claim that former Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was plotting an imminent attack against Americans, members of his administration appeared on Sunday shows to defend the strike that killed Soleimani.

In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien defended the strike, saying it was “difficult” to predict what the targets would have been but added it was “consistent with the intelligence” to assume that several embassies would be targeted.

“It’s always difficult, even with the exquisite intelligence that we have, to know exactly what the targets are. But it’s certainly consistent with the intelligence to assume that they would have hit embassies in at least four countries.”

Watch his comments below:

He added that the targets could have been military bases as well and that intelligence showed that Soleimani was planning some kind of an attack.

“We had very strong intelligence that they were looking to kill and maim American citizens at U.S. facilities in the region.”

O’Brien’s comments come after Trump told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Friday that Soleimani was planning to attack four embassies.

In a separate interview on Sunday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper