Early Saturday morning, Iran admitted that it had shot down a Ukraine International Airlines plane, killing all 176 people aboard.

The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake.

My thoughts and prayers go to all the mourning families. I offer my sincerest condolences. https://t.co/4dkePxupzm
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 11, 2020

The NYT adds: “International pressure had been building on Iran to take responsibility. American and allied intelligence assessments had already concluded that Iranian missiles brought down the plane, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, most likely by accident, amid the heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.”

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tried to explain what the “imminent threat” was that started the events that ultimately led to the accidental shooting down of a civilian aircraft, but couldn't.

Pompeo, asked to define "imminent" in the threat posed by Qasem Soleimani: "This was gonna happen. And American lives were at risk. And we would have been culpably negligent … had we not recommended to the President that he take this action" https://t.co/244aOKfGlH pic.twitter.com/6bTmV8SHGp
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 10, 2020

I've been a member of the Intel Committee for over a decade.

Been briefed hundreds of times on threats — some imminent, some not. When targeting a top gov't official for killing:

“We don't know precisely when and we don't know precisely where,” does not constitute “imminent.” https://t.co/1sL8uEVDWI
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 10, 2020