Donald Trump threatens to retaliate Iran. The American president threatened, on Sunday January 5, the Iranian leaders to "strike" their country if the latter decided to carry out attacks in reprisals to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, killed Thursday by an American military strike.
"If they attack again, which I strongly advise them not to do, we will strike them harder than they have ever been hit before!", Tweeted the American president.
Previously, Donald Trump warned that the United States has selected 52 sites, "of very high standard and very important to Iran and to Iranian culture", and will strike them "very quickly and very hard" if the Islamic Republic attacks American personnel or sites. "The United States does not want any more threats!", Also warned the American president.
.... targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2020Donald Trump pointed out that the number of 52 Iranian sites symbolically corresponded to the number of Americans who had been held hostage for more than a year from the end of 1979 at the United States Embassy in Tehran.
Rockets in the Baghdad Green Zone, where the U.S. Embassy is located
An American Democrat parliamentarian, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called Donald Trump a "monster" accusing him of "threatening to target and kill innocent families, women and children". "It is a war crime," she said in a tweet.
>> Read: Death of General Soleimani: why did Donald Trump choose to strike now?
The pro-Iran factions in Iraq mounted pressure on Saturday on the bases sheltering American soldiers at the end of a day of monster parades to pay homage to General Soleimani.
In the evening began what could be the beginning of the escalation evoked since the American strike on Thursday: rockets and mortar shells fell without causing casualties in the Green Zone of Baghdad, where the embassy is located American, and on a military base further north, where American soldiers are deployed.
After Saturday night's attacks, Hezbollah Brigades, the most radical faction of Hashd, called on Iraqi security forces to move "at least 1,000 meters" away from the sites where US soldiers are present from Sunday at 5 p.m. (2 p.m. GMT).
The Iraqi parliament is due to hold a special session on Sunday during which it could vote for the expulsion of the 5,200 American soldiers deployed in Iraq.
NATO has suspended operations in Iraq, and the United States-led anti-jihadist coalition has reduced them while strengthening the security of the bases where the Americans are deployed. Washington has already announced the deployment of 3,000 to 3,500 additional troops in the region.
With AFP
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