good morning fags and faggots
sassy chassis all the same
the one in blue?
>>>7721622
seems to be part of a larger pic
Terrorist in a suit: Iran blasts Donald Trump after attack threat
Giving no indication of seeking to defuse tensions after a US strike that killed Iran's Qassem Soleimani, President Donald Trump issued a stern threat to the Islamic Republic. Iran did not mince words in its response.
Dubai
January 5, 2020
UPDATED: January 5, 2020 16:48 IST
Trump will learn no one can defeat Iran, Tehran says
Iran has vowed revenge for killing of Maj. Gen. Soleimani
Trump threatened to hit 52 Iran sites if Tehran attacks
Iran condemned Donald Trump on Sunday as a "terrorist in a suit" after the US president threatened to hit 52 Iranian sites hard if Tehran attacks Americans or US assets in retaliation for the killing of military commander Qassem Soleimani.
"Like ISIS, Like Hitler, Like Genghis! They all hate cultures. Trump is a terrorist in a suit. He will learn history very soon that NOBODY can defeat 'the Great Iranian Nation & Culture'," Information and Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted.
Soleimani, Iran's pre-eminent military commander, was killed on Friday in a US drone strike on his convoy at Baghdad airport, an attack that has taken long-running hostilities between Washington and Tehran into uncharted territory and raised the spectre of wider conflict in the Middle East.
Soleimani was the architect of Tehran’s overseas clandestine and military operations as head of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force.
Giving no indication of seeking to defuse tensions after the strike he ordered, Trump issued a stern threat to the Islamic Republic.
In a series of tweets on Saturday he said Iran "is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets" to avenge Soleimani's death.
Trump said the United States has "targeted 52 Iranian sites" and that some were "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."
He said the 52 targets represented the 52 Americans held hostage in Iran after being seized at the US Embassy in 1979 during the country's Islamic Revolution.
Iran's army chief, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, was quoted by state television on Sunday as saying the United States lacked the courage for military confrontation with Iran.
"In a potential conflict in the future, which I don't think they [Americans] have the courage to carry out, there it will become clear where the numbers five and two will belong," he said.
Trump said on Friday Soleimani had been plotting "imminent and sinister" attacks on US diplomats and military personnel. Democratic critics said the Republican president's action was reckless and risked more bloodshed in a dangerous region.
Thousands of mourners turned out to pay respects to the slain commander on Sunday after Soleimani's body was returned to Iran, the official IRIB news agency reported.
FEAR OF WAR WITH SUPERPOWER
While many Iranians have rallied in to show grief over the death of Soleimani, regarded as the country’s second most powerful figure after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, others worry that his death might push the country to war with a superpower.
On Friday, Khamenei promised harsh revenge and declared three days of mourning.
Soleimani's body was flown to the city of Ahvaz in southwest Iran. IRIB posted a video clip of a casket wrapped in an Iranian flag being unloaded from a plane as a military band played.
Thousands of mourners dressed in black marched through the streets of Ahvaz beating their chests in live footage aired on state TV.
IRAQI ANGER
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday he had spoken to Iraq's prime minister and president to urge efforts to relieve tensions in the region following the US strike.
Raab, who described Soleimani as a "regional menace" and said he was sympathetic to the situation the United States found itself in, said he also planned to speak to Iran's foreign minister.
"There is a route through which allows Iran to come in from out of the international cold," he told Sky News. "We need to contain the nefarious actions of Iran but we also need to de-escalate and stabilise the situation."
Friday's US air strike also killed Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Iraq's parliament was set to convene an extraordinary session on Sunday where lawmakers told Reuters they would push for a vote on a resolution requiring the government to request the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
"There is no need for the presence of American forces after defeating Daesh (Islamic State)," said Ammar al-Shibli, a Shi'ite lawmaker and member of parliament's legal committee.
… body too long
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/donald-trump-iran-calls-us-president-terrorist-in-suit-1634141-2020-01-05
US federal publication website hacked by cyber group claiming to be from Iran
Amid extreme escalation between Iran and the US, there are reports suggesting that the website of US Federal Depository Library Program (FDPL) was hacked by a group of Iranian hackers. A note on the website reads – "In the name of God. Hacked by Iran Cyber Security Group Hackers. This is only small part of Iran's Cyber ability! We're always ready."
India TV News Desk India TV News Desk
New Delhi Updated on: January 05, 2020 14:04 IST
US federal publication website hacked by Iranian cyber
Image Source : AP
US federal publication website hacked by Iranian cyber group
Amid extreme escalation between Iran and the US, there are reports suggesting that the website of US Federal Depository Library Program (FDPL) was hacked by a group of Iranian hackers. A note on the website reads – "In the name of God. Hacked by Iran Cyber Security Group Hackers. This is only small part of Iran's Cyber ability! We're always ready."
The website taken down by the hackers is not accessible at the moment. The hackers altered the website with a picture of US President Donald Trump with a punching hand with an imprinted Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC) logo.
India Tv - US federal publication website hacked by Iranian cyber group
Image Source : TWITTER
US federal publication website hacked by Iranian cyber group
The cyber-attack was claimed by a group that identified themselves as “Iran Cyber Security Group HackerS”.
“Martyrdom was his (Shahid Soleymani) reward for years of implacable efforts. With his departure and with God’s power, his work and path will not cease and severe revenge awaits those criminals who have tainted their filthy hands with his blood and the blood of the other martyrs of last night’s incident,” the group wrote on the now-disabled FDPL website, claims Sputnik news agency.
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/us-website-hacked-by-iran-cyber-attack-strike-donald-trump-576459
As Trump issues fresh warning, Pakistan ditches Iran and extends support to US
The situation in the Middle East remains tense as US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran that any retaliation on the part of Iran would mean serious repercussions.
India TV News Desk India TV News Desk
New Delhi Updated on: January 05, 2020 12:28 IST
As Trump issues fresh warning, Pakistan ditches Iran and extends support to US
Image Source : AP
As Trump issues fresh warning, Pakistan ditches Iran and extends support to US
The situation in the Middle East remains tense as US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran that any retaliation on the part of Iran would mean serious repercussions.
"They attacked us, and we hit back. If they attack again, which I would strongly advise them not to do, we will hit them harder than they have ever been hit before," tweeted Trump from his official handle.
Playing up his commitment to the matter, and putting in words the superiority of the US armed forces, Trump added, "The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation."
As per ANI reports, Pakistan has ditched its neighbor Iran and supported United States on the matter of the strikes that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. Soleimani was the same Iranian general Pakistan blamed for a long time for inciting separatism in Baluchistan.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after his conversation to Pakistan's Army Chief tweeted, "Pakistan's Chief of Staff General Bajwa and I spoke today about US defensive action to kill Qassem Soleimani. The Iran regime's actions in the region are destabilizing and our resolve in protecting American interests, personnel, facilities, and partners will not waver."
Pakistan has remained conspicuous by its silence over the US airstrikes and subsequent escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iran has all but declared a state of war with the US. As precessions continued across the country after the death of Qasem Soleimani, a red flag was raised on top of an iconic mosque. The red flag in Shi'ite faith symbolizes revenge and unjust blood spilled.
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/donald-trump-fresh-warning-pakistan-ditches-iran-support-us-mike-pompeo-576439
Saudi Arabia 'not consulted' over US strike to kill Iran general
AFP | Jan 5, 2020, 2:28 IST
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia was not consulted by Washington over a US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, an official said Sunday, as the kingdom sought to defuse soaring regional tensions.
Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to possible Iranian reprisals after Tehran vowed "revenge" following the strike on Friday that killed powerful commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia was not consulted regarding the US strike," a Saudi official told AFP, requesting anonymity.
"In light of the rapid developments, the kingdom stresses the importance of exercising restraint to guard against all acts that may lead to escalation, with severe consequences," the official added.
Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry echoed a similar call for restraint at the weekend and King Salman emphasised the need for measures to calm tensions in a phone call on Saturday with Iraqi President Barham Saleh.
In a separate phone call with Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed "the need to make efforts to calm the situation and de-escalate tensions", the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The crown prince has instructed Prince Khalid bin Salman, his younger brother and deputy defence minister, to travel to Washington and London in the next few days to urge restraint, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.
Prince Khalid will meet White House and US defence officials, the paper said, citing unnamed sources.
The killing of Soleimani, seen as the second most powerful man in Iran, is the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Washington and Tehran and has prompted fears of a major conflagration in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump, who ordered the drone strike, has warned that Washington will hit Iran "very fast and very hard" if the Islamic republic attacks American personnel or assets.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both allies of Washington, are also vulnerable to Iranian counter strikes, analysts say.
A string of attacks attributed to Iran has caused anxiety in recent months as Riyadh and Washington deliberated over how to react.
Latest Comment
Did Saudi consult USA before murdering journalist? Making this look like an ego issue just because of same fraternity.
WB New
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In particular, devastating strikes against Saudi oil installations last September led Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to adopt a more conciliatory approach aimed at avoiding confrontation with Tehran.
Analysts warn that pro-Iran groups have the capacity to carry out attacks on US bases in Gulf states as well as against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz – the strategic waterway that Tehran could close at will.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-not-consulted-over-us-strike-to-kill-iran-general/articleshow/73107550.cms
Number of people ill in Wuhan outbreak rises to 59
2020-01-05 HKT 22:46
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Many of the patients suffering from the mystery pneumonia have been linked to a wet market in Wuhan, shown on mainland media.
Many of the patients suffering from the mystery pneumonia have been linked to a wet market in Wuhan, shown on mainland media.
Health authorities in Wuhan said on Sunday that the number of patients suffering from a mystery respiratory disease in the city has jumped to 59, up from 44 on Friday.
However, the number of cases classified as ‘severe’ has dropped from 11 to seven.
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said the virus causing the outbreak remains unidentified, but initial investigations have so far ruled out Sars, birdflu and Mers.
It said the earliest known case of the illness started on December 12, and in the most recent case, the patient came down with symptoms on December 29. More than 160 close contacts are being monitored, as authorities chase down more people who may have been exposed.
The commission added that there is still no evidence of human-to-human transmission, and no medical personnel have been infected thus far.
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1501164-20200105.htm
Small Cracks Have Appeared in GOP Unity on Impeachment Trial
Voice of America
05 Jan 2020, 23:05 GMT+10
WASHINGTON - The Senate seems certain to keep President Donald Trump in office thanks to the overwhelming GOP support expected in his impeachment trial. But how that trial will proceed - and when it will begin - remains to be seen.
Democrats are pushing for the Senate to issue subpoenas for witnesses and documents, pointing to reports that they say have raised new questions about Trump's decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine.
Once the House transmits the articles of impeachment, decisions about how to conduct the trial will require 51 votes. With Republicans controlling the Senate 53-47, Democrats cannot force subpoenas on their own.
For now, Republicans are holding the line behind Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's position that they should start the trial and hear arguments from House prosecutors and Trump's defense team before deciding what to do.
But small cracks in GOP unity have appeared, with two Republican senators criticizing McConnell's pledge of "total coordination" with the White House during the impeachment trial.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she was "disturbed" by the GOP leader's comments, adding that there should be distance between the White House and the Senate on how the trial is conducted. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, meanwhile, called the pledge by McConnell, R-Ky., inappropriate and said she is open to seeking testimony.
Democrats could find their own unity tested if and when the Senate reaches a final vote on the two House-approved impeachment charges - abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
It would take 67 votes to convict Trump on either charge and remove him from office, a high bar unlikely to be reached. It's also far from certain that all 47 Democrats will find Trump guilty.
Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama said he's undecided on how he might vote and suggested he sees merits in the arguments both for and against conviction.
A look at senators to watch once the impeachment trial begins:
Murkowski
In her fourth term representing Alaska, Murkowski is considered a key Senate moderate. She has voted against GOP leadership on multiple occasions and opposed Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court in 2018.
Murkowski told an Alaska TV station last month there should be distance between the White House and the GOP-controlled Senate in how the trial is conducted.
"To me it means that we have to take that step back from being hand in glove with the defense, and so I heard what leader McConnell had said, I happened to think that that has further confused the process," she said.
Murkowski says the Senate is being asked to cure deficiencies in the House impeachment effort, particularly when it comes to whether key witnesses should be brought forward to testify, including White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.
"How we will deal with witnesses remains to be seen," she said, adding that House leaders should have gone to court if witnesses refused to appear before Congress.
Collins
The four-term senator said she is open to calling witnesses as part of the impeachment trial but calls it "premature" to decide who should be called until evidence is presented.
"It is inappropriate, in my judgment, for senators on either side of the aisle to prejudge the evidence before they have heard what is presented to us," Collins told Maine Public Radio.
Senators take an oath to render impartial justice during impeachment - an oath lawmakers should take seriously, Collins said.
Collins, who is running for reelection and is considered one of the nation's most vulnerable GOP senators, also faulted Democrats for saying Trump should be found guilty and removed from office. "There are senators on both sides of the aisle, who, to me, are not giving the appearance of and the reality of judging that's in an impartial way," she said.
Jones
Jones, a freshman seeking reelection in staunchly pro-Trump Alabama, is considered the Democrat most likely to side with Republicans in a Senate trial. In a Washington Post op-ed column, Jones said that for Americans to have confidence in the impeachment process, "the Senate must conduct a full, fair and complete trial with all relevant evidence regarding the president's conduct."
He said he fears that senators "are headed toward a trial that is not intended to find the whole truth. For the sake of the country, this must change."
… body too long
https://www.shanghainews.net/news/263620457/small-cracks-have-appeared-in-gop-unity-on-impeachment-trial
Afghanistan fears fallout from Soleimani’s death
An Afghan National Army (ANA) soldier inspects passengers at a checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan September 25, 2019. (REUTERS)
Short Url
https://arab.news/4cuf6
Updated 04 January 2020
Sayed Salahuddin
January 04, 2020 23:52
2496
There are some US military bases near the shared border with Afghanistan becoming an indirect battleground between the US and Iran in recent years
KABUL: Afghanistan is concerned about the fallout from the assassination of Iran’s top army commander by a US airstrike, with President Ashraf Ghani saying he would not allow the country to be used against any foreign country.
Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force and architect of its regional security strategy, was killed in an airstrike near the Iraqi capital’s airport.
There are grave concerns that the spike in tension between the US and Iran could lead to further bloodshed.
Afghanistan shares a border with Iran that measures almost a thousand kilometers, and there are fears the country could become embroiled in any escalation.
“The Afghan government reassures the Afghan people and the neighboring countries that Afghanistan’s territory will not be used against any other nation in the region,” Ghani said in a statement.
There are some US military bases near the shared border with Afghanistan becoming an indirect battleground between the US and Iran in recent years.
“It is not clear where Iran may hit US interests,” Ahmad Saeedi, a former diplomat, told Arab News.
“We worry that since we are close to Iran and there are a number of American bases, Iran may choose to go after them here. We are highly vulnerable as America may retaliate from here and then a protracted war could spark in which Afghan refugees in Iran will suffer … our business through Iran which makes over 60 percent of imports will suffer too,” he said, adding that a lack of unity among Afghan leaders may also further complicate the situation and make Afghanistan more vulnerable.
Former Afghan interior minister, Ali Ahmad Jalali, said: “The rising tension between Washington and Tehran puts the Afghan government in a precarious situation as it walks a tightrope between maintaining friendly relations with Iran as a neighbor and working with the US as its strategic partner in security and developmental matters.”
The Afghan daily newspaper Weesa said in a Saturday editorial that the presence and war goals of the US in the region were of “high risk” because Washington had no clear definition of its foes and friends, and allowing it to act with a free hand was dangerous.
Former Afghan Deputy Defense Minister Tamim Asey argued that Soleimani’s killing could trigger a war between Tehran and Washington, which would eventually foment a proxy war in Afghanistan.
“Iran has a lot of influence in the region, while American (military) bases are also spread over the region,” he told Radio Free Afghanistan. “This will prompt both sides to rely on proxies.”
Asey also said that Tehran could prompt the Taliban to end peace negotiations with the US, while also pushing some Afghan political factions under its influence to imperil the stuttering peace process.
Some government officials have alleged that Tehran in recent years has been providing arms and training to the Taliban to fight US troops stationed in Afghanistan.
There has also been mixed reaction to Soleimani’s death in Afghanistan. Some consider him a martyr and others accuse him of mobilizing thousands of Afghanistan’s Shiites for Iran’s proxy wars in the Middle East.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1608331/world
Reaper drone launched from Qatar fired missile that killed Soleimani
Mourners attend on Saturday the funeral procession of Qassem Soleimani, inset, in Karbala. (Reuters)
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Updated 14 sec ago
Arab News
January 05, 2020 00:58
27178
New threats of revenge on US as thousands in Baghdad, Karbala mourn Iranian warlord
LONDON: A drone launched from Qatar fired the missile that killed Iranian warlord Qassem Soleimani, US military sources have revealed.
Soleimani, head of the overseas Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, and five others were killed in the strike at Baghdad airport early on Friday.
They were hit by Hellfire R9X Ninja missiles launched by the MQ-9 Reaper drone sent from Al-Udeid military and air base in Qatar, UK media reported.
Two missiles were fired, one for each of the two vehicles carrying Soleimani and Al-Muhandis, and were controlled remotely by operators at the US Air Force base in Creech, Nevada. A second backup drone was also launched from US Central Command headquarters in Qatar, but was not needed.
The “near-silent” Reaper drone has a range of 1,850 km, can fly at a height of 15,000 meters, and is an “armed, multi-mission, medium-altitude, long-endurance” aircraft designed primarily for offensive strikes, according to the US Air Force. “It provides a unique capability to perform strike, coordination and reconnaissance against high-value, fleeting, and time-sensitive targets,” it said.
HIGHLIGHT
As Qatar’s role in Soleimani’s death was revealed, Qatar’s foreign minister flew to Tehran for talks with President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
US President Donald Trump is thought to have authorized the strike last Sunday, at the same time as approving F-15 fighter jet attacks on bases in Iraq operated by Iran-backed militias. The operation was planned by the US National Security Agency based on intelligence on Soleimani’s movements supplied by informants, electronic intercepts, reconnaissance aircraft, and the security forces of America’s regional allies. Soleimani arrived in Baghdad on a private jet from Damascus minutes before the missile strike.
As Qatar’s role in Soleimani’s death was revealed, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani flew to Tehran for talks with President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Sheikh Mohammed said the situation in the region was sensitive and concerning, and he called for a peaceful solution leading to de-escalation.
In Baghdad on Saturday, tens of thousands of people took part in a march to mourn Soleimani, as Iran ramped up threats of revenge for his death.
A rocket fell inside the heavily fortified Green Zone near the US Embassy, another hit the nearby Jadriya neighborhood, and two more were fired at the Balad air base north of the city. There were no casualties.
NATO and a separate US-led mission suspended their programs to train Iraqi security and armed forces.
Gholamali Abuhamzeh, a senior commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said Tehran would punish Americans “wherever they are in reach,” and threatened attacks on ships in the Arabian Gulf.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1608386/middle-east
Iraq complains to UN over U.S. attacks -foreign ministry
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Iraqi lawmakers convened to vote on whether US troop presence in Iraq. (File/Reuters)
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US troops are deployed as part of the broader international coalition, invited by the Iraqi government in 2014 to help fight Daesh. (File/AFP)
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Updated 10 sec ago
AFP
January 05, 2020 12:49
4982
A pro-Iran faction urged Iraqis to move away from US forces
Some 5,200 US soldiers are deployed across Iraqi bases to train and support local troops
BAGHDAD: Iraq's foreign ministry has lodged official complaints with the United Nations Secretary-General and Security Council over U.S. air strikes on Iraqi soil that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and several Iraqi militia leaders.
The complaint is about "American attacks and aggression on Iraqi military positions and the assassination of Iraqi and allied high level military commanders on Iraqi soil," the ministry said in a statement.
It described the attacks as "a dangerous breach of Iraqi sovereignty and of the terms of U.S. presence in Iraq."
It called on the Security Council to condemn the attacks.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1608591/middle-east
World
4 Jan, 17:58
US to hit 52 Iranian sites very fast in response to any potential attack, Trump warns
US President noted that the Islamic Republic "will be hit very hard"
Donald Trump AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Donald Trump
© AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
WASHINGTON, January 5. /TASS/. The United States will hit 52 Iranian sites "very fast and very hard" in response to any potential attack by the Islamic Republic following the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, US President Donald Trump tweeted on Saturday.
"Let this serve as a warning that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level and important to Iran and the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, will be hit very fast and very hard. The USA wants no more threats!" Trump wrote.
"Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets" in response to the American operation that killed Soleimani, US President said. "He was already attacking our embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years," Trump noted.
The Pentagon earlier confirmed that a missile strike near the Baghdad airport killed the head of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani. The operation was carried out at the direction of Donald Trump, the statement said.
Following the attack, the Supreme National Security Council of Iran vowed to exact "severe revenge" on those involved in the killing, blaming the US for the attack. In a telephone call with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted the attack as an act of terrorism by the US.
https://tass.com/world/1105739
Look at these fools mourning Soleimani
All in one place.
Got Hellfire Missiles?
Iran crowds mourn general killed by US strike
Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike Friday near Baghdad international airport that shocked the Islamic republic. He was 62.
world Updated: Jan 05, 2020 15:38 IST
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
Baghdad
Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike, in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. The body of Soleimani arrived Sunday in Iran to throngs of mourners, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb 52 sites in the Islamic Republic if Tehran retaliates by attacking Americans.
Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike, in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Iran, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. The body of Soleimani arrived Sunday in Iran to throngs of mourners, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb 52 sites in the Islamic Republic if Tehran retaliates by attacking Americans. (AP)
A tide of mourners packed the streets of the Iranian city of Ahvaz Sunday to pay respects to top general Qasem Soleimani, days after he was killed in a US strike.
“Death to America,” they chanted at a mass gathering in the streets of the southwestern city, where Soleimani’s remains arrived from Iraq before dawn, according to semi-official news agency ISNA.
They beat their chests to the sound of Shiite chants and held up portraits of the general, seen as a hero of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war and for spearheading Iran’s Middle East operations as chief of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force.
Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike Friday near Baghdad international airport that shocked the Islamic republic. He was 62.
The assassination, which was ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheted up tensions between the arch-enemies and sparked fears of a new war in the Middle East.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge” and declared three days of mourning following the news of his death.
Trump warned on Saturday that America was targeting 52 sites in Iran and would hit them “very fast and very hard” if the Islamic republic attacks American personnel or assets.
In a sabre-rattling tweet, Trump said: “If they attack again, which I would strongly advise them not to do, we will hit them harder than they have ever been hit before!”
Tensions between longtime foes Iran and the US escalated last year when Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark accord that gave the Islamic republic relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
-
‘Glorious crowd’ -
On Sunday, thousands of mourners dressed in black were seen gathered in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz in a live broadcast on state television.
The footage showed crowds gathered in Mollavi Square with flags in green, white and red – depicting the blood of “martyrs”.
Men and women wept as they beat their chests to the sound of Shiite Muslim chants.
Aerial footage showed a tide of mourners crammed into Mollavi Square and the surrounding streets of downtown Ahvaz, a city of 1.3 million people.
“A glorious crowd is at the ceremony,” said state television.
“The presence of children, teenagers, relatives, veterans, families of martyrs of (the Iran-Iraq war) and defenders of Haram (those martyred in Syria) is a glimpse of the glory of this ceremony,” it added.
ISNA news agency said Soleimani’s remains and those of five other Iranians – all Guards members – killed in the US drone strike had arrived at Ahvaz airport before dawn.
They are expected to be flown to the Iranian capital for more tributes on Sunday evening.
On Monday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to pray over his remains at Tehran University before a procession to Azadi Square.
His remains are then due to be taken to the holy city of Qom for a ceremony at Masumeh shrine, ahead of a funeral in his hometown Kerman on Tuesday.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/iran-crowds-mourn-general-killed-by-us-strike/story-xORwk3jB2mRXMoaMsyVBmM.html