Kasam Solomon is Coffin arrived in the City of Love as this morning warned by hundreds of thousands on Revered Like a Saint.

Feeling of persecution lies at the heart of Shia Islam.

And so the story general before proxy wars for his country is just the latest victim.

A few months ago, the general's regime was shooting protesters.

Now the nation is rallying around both flag on faith.

FORT Bragg, North Carolina over 6000 miles away on the first of 3.5 1000 troops are being deployed from America's rapid reaction force theeighty first airborne to somewhere in the Middle East, their commander in chief ramping up the tension in the hope of preventing a wall.

Let this serve as a warning.

Mr.

Trump tweeted overnight that if Iran strikes any Americans or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites, some at a very high level and important to Iran on the Iranian culture on those targets will be hit very fast and very hard.

Those tweets followed US intelligence that Iranian ballistic missiles kept in underground bunkers had been moved to a heightened state of alert.

As for the U.

S strike on General Soleimani, while Pentagon officials have briefed that this was just one of a menu of options on that they were astonished when the president took it up, Mr Trump had seen Iran backed militants attacking the U.

S embassy in Baghdad, and though no Americans were hurt, the president decided to have the general assassinated.

It may be that there's a little noise here in the interment that the Iranians make the choice toe respond.

I hope that they don't, and I am confident that the decision we make made to take down this terrorist, this designated terrorist who had inflicted so much arm over such an extended period was the right course of action to reduce risk to America.

But at what cost?

Tonight, most sheer MPs in Iraq's parliament approved a bill to expel American led coalition troops.

The bill was nonbinding, though Iraq's Shia prime minister recommended it in southern Beirut today.

The dead General Shir allies, men of Hezbollah, or the Party of God, chanted that they were ready to sacrifice themselves for the sheer calls as their spiritual leader, Sheikh Nasrallah told them that American soldiers would return home in coffins that military bases and warships were now fair targets.

Mr.

Trump has upset a Hornets nest of Shia rage that whether the rhetoric of revenge matches up to reality is anyone's guess.

Are you predicting a war in the Middle East now way?

We're not predicting a war soon, he said.

But if there will be a war, we are ready.

This was a criminal assassination, and we will respond wrong here in Southern General.

Soleimani is believed to have visited his forces here long before you say no specific anyway, Ayatollah Khamenei, back in Tehran, would have needed to ever prove any operation.

Still, Iran backed militants in Iraq have put out this propaganda video, saying they could target US troops at the embassy when the order is given That maybe bluster, Mr Trump is gambling that it is U.

K.

Forces and commercial interests are also at risk.

The Ministry of Defense is sending two warships, the Montrose and defender, back on patrol alongside British shipping in the Straits of Hormuz.

The foreign secretary today confirmed he received no warning you, Kay's closest ally, would kill an Iranian general the dominant.

Rob, a former government lawyer, defended the strike.

The operational assessment is being done by the Americans is that there is a right of self defense there on Dhe, as I tightly circumscribed on the international law, what is But if you're attacked and there's no doubt that it was General Soleimani is job description to engage proxies, militias across not just Iraq but the whole region.

I think the important thing now is to de escalate the tensions to try and restore some stability on make sure whilst we containing the nefarious actions, Iran is undoubtedly taking that that door to diplomatic route out from the international cold is there for wrong.

But it's ultimately got to be for the regime in the leadership in Tehran to make that choice.

That doors slamming shut in Iran's parliament today, they chanted Death to America!

The Islamic Revolution has rediscovered its voice as it always does when it's under attack.

This is not just a funeral worthy of an Ayatollah.

It's an outpouring of emotion which may well solidify the hardliners grip on power on def.

Solomon Eze death needs to American troops being forced out of Iraq.

It will give him what he always wanted.

Jonathan Rugman, Channel four News.

Beirut's for the Foreign Office is strengthened its travel advice for Iran and Iraq since the assassination of General Soleimani.

Only essential travel to the country's is advised, but hundreds of people are still in there.

The UK has formed the troops and two bases in Baghdad and one and bill.

Security of these locations has been tightened since Friday's killing.

1400 military and civilian personnel account Lee in Iraq supporting operations to counter the threat from ISIS 100 Special Forces troops deployed in eastern Syria.

The UK also has six Royal Navy ships in the Gulf were joining me.

Now is Dr Lena Khatib from Chatham as thanks for coming on the program.

How vulnerable are these British targets?

Let's call them that.

How bondable other in the Middle East we're only as vulnerable as any participant in the international coalition against Isis is because we're not alone out there, where they're a spot of a mission to counter this terrorist organization on dhe.

Obviously we're not alone, which means we're not gonna be singled out as a target.

However, with this very explicit threat issued by Iranian partners that American soldiers might be targeted off course.

Any partner of the United States needs to be vigilant because we're still officially the little saint Normally.

Well, I mean, right now I think Iranian sites are very much squarely on the United States rather than the UK It is very much about Donald Trump.

It's really a standoff between the Ayatollah in Iran and Donald Trump himself.

In a way, it's become almost personal.

I don't think that Iran is interested in declaring war against the West or targeting Western targets indiscriminately.

I think I've been very specific in saying us only when you look at what Dominic grab, the foreign secretary had to say today, when you consider the fact that the prime minister hasn't said a single word about this and is only now coming back from holiday, does that indicate a certain lack of comfort?

Shall we say in the British position regarding this?

I think it indicates a desire to, in a way, stay out of it because this is very much about us versus Iran.

The U.

K does not need to involve itself more than necessary, but we've already been ticked off by Mike Pompeo.

In fact, all Europeans that I think you also mentioned London as not responding sufficiently to this.

We know that the robbers going over on Thursday to see the secretary of state, we have now responded.

But I don't think it merits more than this because this is not really our fight.

This is now really between the United States and Iran on I think the U.

S will, of course, try to put pressure on its allies, as we have heard.

But I don't think we necessarily need to heed this cold to do much more than we already are doing.

Now let's talk about Iraq briefly.

The Assembly today voted to get rid of the 5000 U.

S.

Troops.

Will they actually have to leave?

They don't yet have to leave because for that to happen, there needs to be a law on dhe.

The current cabinet in Iraq is only a caretaker Cabinet because officially the prime minister resigned, which means it cannot set laws.

So it's a matter of time.

But I think eventually it's gonna be very difficult for the U.

S.

To justify stay and then 20 seconds.

Is there any danger of renewed civil war inside Iraq as a result of all this?

The problem is that today a lot of Sunni and peace did not vote for the slow, which means there's already a division happening in Iraq regarding what to do.