WORLD WAR III
Social media was rife at the weekend with reactions to the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, with World War III hashtags trending online on Friday and Saturday and users posting about fears of a US military draft. The Friday airstrike, ordered by US President Donald Trump, sent Middle East tensions skyrocketing and sparked fears of an all-out war. Iranian officials vowed retribution for the killing, with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promising to exact “harsh revenge.” Trump on Saturday evening issued a stark threat to Iran on Twitter, saying that the US had targeted dozens of Iranian sites for strikes in the event of a reprisal.