Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah:

Resistance to End Malign U.S. Presence in Mideast

Date: 06 January 2020 - 23:15

News ID: ۷۴۷۹۴

BAGHDAD (Dispatches) — The U.S. military presence in the Middle East was thrown into jeopardy Sunday, as Iraq’s parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from their country while the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement vowed to end the U.S. military’s presence in the Middle East.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the U.S. military "will pay the price” for the U.S. drone strike that martyred Gen Qasem Soleimani in Iraq Friday. He said that U.S. bases, warships and soldiers in the Middle East were all fair targets.
"The Istish’hadi (martyrdom-seeking) attackers who forced the Americans to leave from our region in the past are still here and their numbers have increased,” Nasrallah said.
"When American troops return in coffins, when they come vertically and return horizontally to the United States of America, then Trump and his administration will know that they lost the region and will lose the elections,” he said. He added that U.S. civilians in the region will not be targeted.
Nasrallah said Gen. Soleimani was not only Iran’s concern but the entire "axis of resistance,” a term used to refer to anti-Israel movement in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian territories. He said it was up to those groups to decide if and how they would retaliate.
He praised General Soleimani and said "the shoe of Qassem Soleimani is worth the head of Trump and all American leaders.”
Iran has promised "harsh revenge” for the U.S. assassination, which shocked Iranians across all political lines.
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia warned Americans "of the heightened risk of missile and drone attacks.”
Late Saturday, a series of rockets launched in Baghdad fell inside or near the Green Zone, which houses government offices and foreign embassies, including the U.S. Embassy.
The United States has detected a heightened state of alert by Iran’s missile forces across the country, a U.S. official told Reuters, adding it was unclear whether the higher readiness level was defensive in nature or not.
"They’re clearly at a heightened state of alert. Is that heightened state of alert to be better prepared defensively or to be better prepared offensively? That can’t be determined at this point,” the official said.
China criticized the United States for aggravating tension in the Middle East.
"Power politics are neither popular nor sustainable,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing. "The U.S.’s risky military behavior in recent days goes against the basic norms of international relations.”
"We call on the U.S. not to abuse its force, and appeal to relevant parties to exercise restraint to avoid the situation worsening,” he said, adding that China is "highly concerned” about the standoff between Iran and the United States.
China also criticized the United States for threatening sanctions against Iraq in response to the Iraqi parliament’s resolution calling for U.S. and other foreign troops to leave the country.
"China has consistently opposed the wanton use or threat of use of sanctions,” Geng told reporters. "We wish that relevant countries, particularly major countries outside the region, can do more to promote the Middle East region’s peace and security, and avoid taking actions that escalate regional tensions.”