“The killing of Soleimani is very different from previous U.S. strikes. This wasn’t a terrorist leader. The U.S. just took out a key government official in Iran. That is going to demand a government-level response from Iran,” said Karim Hijazi, the founder and CEO of private cyber and intelligence firm Prevailion. “A cyber-attack is the fastest and most effective way for the Iranian government to respond, while also diminishing the risk of provoking a conventional U.S. military attack.”