Former head of Israeli Defence Force intelligence Amos Yadlin claimed that "With the window of time left for Trump, such a move could lead Iran to a violent response, which would provide a pretext for a US-led attack on Iranian nuclear facilities." Several hours after the killing, the Pentagon announced the return of the USS "Nimitz" to the region. Fearful of an attack, the United States also withdrew several staffers from its Baghdad embassy. On December 9, the US deployed two Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers to the Persian Gulf. The killing has been compared to that of Qasem Soleimani, which was reciprocated by an Iranian missile attack.