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The phrase "World War 3" has seen a surge of popularity after the news that the US had killed Iran's top general.
As news broke that the US had killed Qassem Soleimani and others in an airstrike near Baghdad airport, worry that the event could lead to an escalation in conflict and warfare across the world led people to search for the phrase on Google, and talk about it on Twitter.
Various global powers have warned that the strike could lead to further violence that could be felt across the world.
"We are waking up in a more dangerous world. Military escalation is always dangerous," France's deputy minister for foreign affairs, Amelie de Montchalin, told RTL radio. "When such actions, such operations, take place, we see that escalation is underway."
The concern about further violence meant that the phrase was among the most trending topics in the world, with various posts on Twitter referencing World War 3 or "#WWIII". Every single one of the UK's top trending topics related to the news story, with other trending topics including Trump, Iraq, Iran, middle east and Soleimani.
Created with Sketch.
Created with Sketch.
1/50 3 January 2020
A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport is seen following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump
AP
2/50 2 January 2020
Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola, Australia. Thousands of tourists fled Australia's wildfire-ravaged eastern coast ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south
Robert Oerlemans via AP
3/50 1 January 2020
Photographer Matt Roberts reacts to seeing his sister's house destroyed by a bushfire in Quaama, New South Wales, Australia
EPA
4/50 31 December 2019
A man rides a donkey cart against the last setting sun of 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan
Reuters
5/50 30 December 2019
A Skycrane drops water on a bushfire in Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia. According to local media reports, thousands of residents and tourists were forced to evacuate in the state of Victoria as soaring temperatures and winds fanned several bushfires around the state
EPA
6/50 29 December 2019
A jumper soars through the air during a trial jump at the first stage of the 68th four hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany
AP
7/50 28 December 2019
Revellers dressed in mock military garb throw eggs as they take part in the "Els Enfarinats" battle in the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi on December 28, 2019. - During this 200-year-old traditional festival participants known as Els Enfarinats (those covered in flour) dress in military clothes and stage a mock coup d'etat as they battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers outside the city town hall as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Innocents, a traditional day in Spain for pulling pranks.
AFP via Getty
8/50 27 December 2019
The Panamanian-flag cargo ship "Zelek Star" is pictured after being washed up on a beach in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashdod during a storm
AFP via Getty
9/50 26 December 2019
Monks wearing solar filter glasses watch the "ring of fire" solar eclipse at the Gaden monastery in a Tibetan colony in Teginkoppa, India
AFP via Getty
10/50 25 December 2019
A participant in a Darth Vader costume jumps into the water during the 110th edition of the 'Copa Nadal' (Christmas Cup) swimming competition in Barcelona's Port Vell. The traditional 200-meter Christmas swimming race included more than 300 participants on Barcelona's old harbour
AFP/Getty
11/50 24 December 2019
Children dressed as Santa Claus during celebrations on Christmas Eve at a school in Amritsar
AFP via Getty
12/50 23 December 2019
Palestinians wearing Christmas costumes distribute gifts to children seated atop the rubble of a house demolished by Israel, reportedly for not being built with official licensing in the village of al-Khader, west of of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank
AFP via Getty
13/50 22 December 2019
A journalist gets pepper-sprayed after a heated exchange with police during a rally in Hong Kong to show support for the Uighur minority in China. Hong Kong riot police broke up a solidarity rally for China's Uighurs -- with one officer drawing a pistol -- as the city's pro-democracy movement likened their plight to that of the oppressed Muslim minority
AFP via Getty
14/50 21 December 2019
Children react as a Bengal tiger licks the glass surrounding its enclosure during the "Animal Christmas Party", where the youths were treated to a tour of the Malabon Zoo, in Manila
AFP via Getty
15/50 20 December 2019
In this long exposure photo, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Boeing Starliner crew capsule lifts off on an orbital flight test to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral
AP
16/50 19 December 2019
A freediver wearing a Father Christmas outfit poses underwater off the coast of the northern city of Batroun
AFP via Getty
17/50 18 December 2019
People rally in support of the impeachment of US President Donald Trump in front of the US Capitol, as the House readies for the historic vote
AFP via Getty
18/50 17 December 2019
Protesters set fire to dumpsters and tires as they block a road in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon
AFP via Getty
19/50 16 December 2019
People ride a merry-go-round at the Christmas Market at the Red Square in Moscow
AFP via Getty
20/50 15 December 2019
The Red Rebels, part of the Extinction Rebellion Australia demonstrator group, participate in a climate protest rally in Sydney. The group rallied in front of the landmark Sydney Opera House demanding urgent climate action from Australia's government, as bushfire smoke choking the city caused health problems to spike
AFP via Getty
21/50 14 December 2019
Protesters block a road after setting buses on fire during a demonstration against the Indian government's Citizenship Amendment Bill in Howrah, on the outskirts of Kolkata, India. Protests against a divisive new citizenship law raged on as Washington and London issued travel warnings for northeast India following days of violent clashes that have killed two people so far
AFP via Getty
22/50 13 December 2019
A huge cloud of black smoke raises over a burning warehouse in the southern outskirts of Moscow. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, but one fire fighter was injured and 25 ambulance cars and a special air testing vehicle are at the site, they added
EPA
23/50 12 December 2019
A slow shutter speed shot shows oarsmen in traditional costume rowing during the Royal Barge Procession to mark the conclusion of the Royal Coronation ceremony, on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. The ceremony honours King Rama X after his complete accession to the throne
EPA
24/50 11 December 2019
A boy inspects his damaged home after after an attack near the Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, A powerful suicide bombing targeted an under-construction medical facility near the main American base north of the capital
AP
25/50 10 December 2019
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives to participate in the event "Unite behind the science" within the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid
AFP via Getty
26/50 9 December 2019
White Island (Whakaari) volcano, as it erupts, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. According to police, at least five people have died in the volcanic erruption
EPA/Michael Schade
27/50 8 December 2019
People gather amidst the ruins of a building, destroyed during reported Syrian regime and Russian air strikes the previous day in the town of Balyun. The reported air raids killed 19 civilians, eight of them children, in the country's last major opposition bastion
AFP via Getty
28/50 7December 2019
A French CGT unionist holds up the union's flag as he demonstrates against unemployment amidst smoke bombs in Nantes. The most serious nationwide strike to hit France in years caused new misery for weekend travellers, with defiant unions dismissing proposals by the government and warning walkouts would last well into next week
AFP via Getty
29/50 6 December 2019
People stand on top of a collapsed six-storey building in Nairobi, Kenya. Local media reported that several people are feared trapped as the rescue operation continues
EPA
30/50 5 December 2019
Indonesia players celebrate a point during their match against Vietnam in the women's volleyball preliminary round of the Southeast Asian Games being held in the Philippines
Reuters
31/50 4 December 2019
Firefighters work to contain a large fire at an industrial building at Inlet Road inn Auckland, New Zealand
Getty
32/50 3 December 2019
Doan Quynh Nam Tran of Vietnam competes in the women's gymnastics at the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) in Manila
AFP via Getty
33/50 2 December 2019
A youth plays on foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai
AFP via Getty
34/50 1 December 2019
Southeast Asian Games at the Royce Hotel, Mabalacat, Philippines. Vietnam's Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final.
Reuters
35/50 30 November 2019
A woman holds a coloured flag at the Botswana Pride Parade in Gaborone. The parade is the first one organised in Botswana, after the Court ruled on June 11 in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, which had been punishable by a jail term of up to seven years.
AFP via Getty
36/50 29 November 2019
A child holds a placard during a 'drop dead' flashmob protest against climate change consequences at Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
37/50 28 November 2019
Pro-democracy protesters hold an SOS sign and US national flags during a Thanksgiving rally in Edinburgh Place, Hong Kong. Protesters were thanking US President Donald Trump for signing into a law 'The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong Kong', provoking an angry backlash from the Chinese government. Hong Kong is in its sixth month of mass protests, which were originally triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill, and have since turned into a wider pro-democracy movement
EPA
38/50 27 November 2019
Rescuers with a dog search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania
AP
39/50 26 November 2019
A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad
AFP via Getty
40/50 25 November 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a female company belonging to 5492 troops
KCNA via Reuters
41/50 24 November 2019
A protester jumps between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Basra, Iraq
Reuters
42/50 23 November 2019
Fans dressed as Star Wars characters during day three of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba in Australia
Getty
43/50 22 November 2019
Pope Francis speaks with religious leaders during a meeting at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
44/50 21 November 2019
A girl injured in last night's attack by the Syrian regime on a camp for displaced people near the Turkish border in Idlib, Syria is held up to the camera
AFP/Getty
45/50 20 November 2019
Indian paramilitary soldiers detain a Congress party supporter during a protest against the withdrawal of Special Protection Group (SPG) cover to party president Sonia Gandhi, her children and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delh. The move to lift off the SPG security, an elite force that protects prime ministers and their immediate families, led to sharp reactions from the Congress, which accused the government of personal vendetta
AP
46/50 19 November 2019
An image taken from a plane window shows Sydney shrouded in smoke from nearby bush fires
AAP Imagevia Reuters
47/50 18 November 2019
Protesters run for cover after riot police fired tear gas towards the bridge they were climbing down to the road below, to escape from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dozens escaped the besieged campus by lowering themselves on a rope from a footbridge to a highway. Once on the road they were seen being picked up by waiting motorcyclists
AFP via Getty
48/50 17 November 2019
Anti-government protesters draped in Iraqi national flags walk into clouds of smoke from burning tires during a demonstration in the southern city of Basra, Iraq
AFP via Getty
49/50 16 November 2019
A protester wearing a yellow jacket waves a French flag in a fountain during a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the "yellow vests" movement in Nice, France
Reuters
50/50 15 November 2019
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to return a tear gas canister fired by Israeli forces amid clashes following a weekly demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar Qaddum
AFP via Getty
1/50 3 January 2020
A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport is seen following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump
AP
2/50 2 January 2020
Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola, Australia. Thousands of tourists fled Australia's wildfire-ravaged eastern coast ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south
Robert Oerlemans via AP
3/50 1 January 2020
Photographer Matt Roberts reacts to seeing his sister's house destroyed by a bushfire in Quaama, New South Wales, Australia
EPA
4/50 31 December 2019
A man rides a donkey cart against the last setting sun of 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan
Reuters
5/50 30 December 2019
A Skycrane drops water on a bushfire in Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia. According to local media reports, thousands of residents and tourists were forced to evacuate in the state of Victoria as soaring temperatures and winds fanned several bushfires around the state
EPA
6/50 29 December 2019
A jumper soars through the air during a trial jump at the first stage of the 68th four hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany
AP
7/50 28 December 2019
Revellers dressed in mock military garb throw eggs as they take part in the "Els Enfarinats" battle in the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi on December 28, 2019. - During this 200-year-old traditional festival participants known as Els Enfarinats (those covered in flour) dress in military clothes and stage a mock coup d'etat as they battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers outside the city town hall as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Innocents, a traditional day in Spain for pulling pranks.
AFP via Getty
8/50 27 December 2019
The Panamanian-flag cargo ship "Zelek Star" is pictured after being washed up on a beach in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashdod during a storm
AFP via Getty
9/50 26 December 2019
Monks wearing solar filter glasses watch the "ring of fire" solar eclipse at the Gaden monastery in a Tibetan colony in Teginkoppa, India
AFP via Getty
10/50 25 December 2019
A participant in a Darth Vader costume jumps into the water during the 110th edition of the 'Copa Nadal' (Christmas Cup) swimming competition in Barcelona's Port Vell. The traditional 200-meter Christmas swimming race included more than 300 participants on Barcelona's old harbour
AFP/Getty
11/50 24 December 2019
Children dressed as Santa Claus during celebrations on Christmas Eve at a school in Amritsar
AFP via Getty
12/50 23 December 2019
Palestinians wearing Christmas costumes distribute gifts to children seated atop the rubble of a house demolished by Israel, reportedly for not being built with official licensing in the village of al-Khader, west of of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank
AFP via Getty
13/50 22 December 2019
A journalist gets pepper-sprayed after a heated exchange with police during a rally in Hong Kong to show support for the Uighur minority in China. Hong Kong riot police broke up a solidarity rally for China's Uighurs -- with one officer drawing a pistol -- as the city's pro-democracy movement likened their plight to that of the oppressed Muslim minority
AFP via Getty
14/50 21 December 2019
Children react as a Bengal tiger licks the glass surrounding its enclosure during the "Animal Christmas Party", where the youths were treated to a tour of the Malabon Zoo, in Manila
AFP via Getty
15/50 20 December 2019
In this long exposure photo, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Boeing Starliner crew capsule lifts off on an orbital flight test to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral
AP
16/50 19 December 2019
A freediver wearing a Father Christmas outfit poses underwater off the coast of the northern city of Batroun
AFP via Getty
17/50 18 December 2019
People rally in support of the impeachment of US President Donald Trump in front of the US Capitol, as the House readies for the historic vote
AFP via Getty
18/50 17 December 2019
Protesters set fire to dumpsters and tires as they block a road in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon
AFP via Getty
19/50 16 December 2019
People ride a merry-go-round at the Christmas Market at the Red Square in Moscow
AFP via Getty
20/50 15 December 2019
The Red Rebels, part of the Extinction Rebellion Australia demonstrator group, participate in a climate protest rally in Sydney. The group rallied in front of the landmark Sydney Opera House demanding urgent climate action from Australia's government, as bushfire smoke choking the city caused health problems to spike
AFP via Getty
21/50 14 December 2019
Protesters block a road after setting buses on fire during a demonstration against the Indian government's Citizenship Amendment Bill in Howrah, on the outskirts of Kolkata, India. Protests against a divisive new citizenship law raged on as Washington and London issued travel warnings for northeast India following days of violent clashes that have killed two people so far
AFP via Getty
22/50 13 December 2019
A huge cloud of black smoke raises over a burning warehouse in the southern outskirts of Moscow. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, but one fire fighter was injured and 25 ambulance cars and a special air testing vehicle are at the site, they added
EPA
23/50 12 December 2019
A slow shutter speed shot shows oarsmen in traditional costume rowing during the Royal Barge Procession to mark the conclusion of the Royal Coronation ceremony, on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. The ceremony honours King Rama X after his complete accession to the throne
EPA
24/50 11 December 2019
A boy inspects his damaged home after after an attack near the Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, A powerful suicide bombing targeted an under-construction medical facility near the main American base north of the capital
AP
25/50 10 December 2019
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives to participate in the event "Unite behind the science" within the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid
AFP via Getty
26/50 9 December 2019
White Island (Whakaari) volcano, as it erupts, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. According to police, at least five people have died in the volcanic erruption
EPA/Michael Schade
27/50 8 December 2019
People gather amidst the ruins of a building, destroyed during reported Syrian regime and Russian air strikes the previous day in the town of Balyun. The reported air raids killed 19 civilians, eight of them children, in the country's last major opposition bastion
AFP via Getty
28/50 7December 2019
A French CGT unionist holds up the union's flag as he demonstrates against unemployment amidst smoke bombs in Nantes. The most serious nationwide strike to hit France in years caused new misery for weekend travellers, with defiant unions dismissing proposals by the government and warning walkouts would last well into next week
AFP via Getty
29/50 6 December 2019
People stand on top of a collapsed six-storey building in Nairobi, Kenya. Local media reported that several people are feared trapped as the rescue operation continues
EPA
30/50 5 December 2019
Indonesia players celebrate a point during their match against Vietnam in the women's volleyball preliminary round of the Southeast Asian Games being held in the Philippines
Reuters
31/50 4 December 2019
Firefighters work to contain a large fire at an industrial building at Inlet Road inn Auckland, New Zealand
Getty
32/50 3 December 2019
Doan Quynh Nam Tran of Vietnam competes in the women's gymnastics at the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) in Manila
AFP via Getty
33/50 2 December 2019
A youth plays on foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai
AFP via Getty
34/50 1 December 2019
Southeast Asian Games at the Royce Hotel, Mabalacat, Philippines. Vietnam's Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final.
Reuters
35/50 30 November 2019
A woman holds a coloured flag at the Botswana Pride Parade in Gaborone. The parade is the first one organised in Botswana, after the Court ruled on June 11 in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, which had been punishable by a jail term of up to seven years.
AFP via Getty
36/50 29 November 2019
A child holds a placard during a 'drop dead' flashmob protest against climate change consequences at Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
37/50 28 November 2019
Pro-democracy protesters hold an SOS sign and US national flags during a Thanksgiving rally in Edinburgh Place, Hong Kong. Protesters were thanking US President Donald Trump for signing into a law 'The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong Kong', provoking an angry backlash from the Chinese government. Hong Kong is in its sixth month of mass protests, which were originally triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill, and have since turned into a wider pro-democracy movement
EPA
38/50 27 November 2019
Rescuers with a dog search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania
AP
39/50 26 November 2019
A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad
AFP via Getty
40/50 25 November 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a female company belonging to 5492 troops
KCNA via Reuters
41/50 24 November 2019
A protester jumps between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Basra, Iraq
Reuters
42/50 23 November 2019
Fans dressed as Star Wars characters during day three of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan at The Gabba in Australia
Getty
43/50 22 November 2019
Pope Francis speaks with religious leaders during a meeting at the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand
Reuters
44/50 21 November 2019
A girl injured in last night's attack by the Syrian regime on a camp for displaced people near the Turkish border in Idlib, Syria is held up to the camera
AFP/Getty
45/50 20 November 2019
Indian paramilitary soldiers detain a Congress party supporter during a protest against the withdrawal of Special Protection Group (SPG) cover to party president Sonia Gandhi, her children and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, in New Delh. The move to lift off the SPG security, an elite force that protects prime ministers and their immediate families, led to sharp reactions from the Congress, which accused the government of personal vendetta
AP
46/50 19 November 2019
An image taken from a plane window shows Sydney shrouded in smoke from nearby bush fires
AAP Imagevia Reuters
47/50 18 November 2019
Protesters run for cover after riot police fired tear gas towards the bridge they were climbing down to the road below, to escape from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dozens escaped the besieged campus by lowering themselves on a rope from a footbridge to a highway. Once on the road they were seen being picked up by waiting motorcyclists
AFP via Getty
48/50 17 November 2019
Anti-government protesters draped in Iraqi national flags walk into clouds of smoke from burning tires during a demonstration in the southern city of Basra, Iraq
AFP via Getty
49/50 16 November 2019
A protester wearing a yellow jacket waves a French flag in a fountain during a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the "yellow vests" movement in Nice, France
Reuters
50/50 15 November 2019
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to return a tear gas canister fired by Israeli forces amid clashes following a weekly demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel in the village of Kfar Qaddum
AFP via Getty
On Google, searches for the phrase also surged. While there is always some interest in the possibility of global warfare, Google showed that searches went up almost 100 times from 1am, when the killing was announced.
It also led to interest in the trend itself. One of the breakout searches on Google over the day after the announcement was "why is world war three trending", according to Google's Trends tool.
The interest in the phrase and its trending on social networks led to a flurry of memes that made lighthearted reference to the possible conflict.
Experts have said that it is unlikely the attack will lead to all-out war, but that it is likely to lead to more tension across the world.
Asked whether the US air strike could lead to all-out war, former national security advisor Lord Ricketts told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "I don't think so, no. I don't think either the Americans or the Iranians want all-out war, but a targeted strike is not a strategy and I think what everybody is worrying about is understanding what happens next, where do we go from here?"
He added: "It gives the Iranians the option of attacking Western targets right across the Middle East on a timing of their choice, and I think that some kind of target is inevitable."