Hezbollah leader says US forces will go home in coffins

Hezbollah’s leader said Sunday that U.S. forces will “pay the price” for the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike. 

“Fair punishment is (aimed at) the American military presence in the region: American military bases, American naval ships, every American officer and soldier in our countries and region,” Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Sunday, according to Reuters. 

“The American army is the one that killed them and it is the one that will pay the price,” he said. 

The leader of the militant group, which is based in Lebanon, reportedly added that U.S. civilians in the region “should not be touched” because it would serve President Trump’s agenda. 

“When the coffins of American soldiers and officers begin to be transported … to the United States, Trump and his administration will realize that they have really lost the region and will lose the elections,” Nasrallah said, according to Reuters. 

Nasrallah also said that he warned Soleimani of the risk of assassination one day before the commander was killed in Baghdad by the U.S. strike. 

Nasrallah said he warned Soleimani in Beirut on New Year’s Day that “American media” was “priming for” his “assassination.” 

“Of course he laughed and told me, ‘I hope so, pray for me,’ ” Nasrallah said, according to Reuters. 

Trump and administration officials have defended the drone strike that killed Soleimani, while many Democrats have questioned whether the president fully thought through the consequences of the decision and have suggested it may bring the U.S. closer to a war with Iran. 

Trump said Friday after the attack that the action was taken to “stop a war,” not to “start a war.” 

He followed up with a tweet late Saturday night warning that Iran would be hit “harder than they have ever been hit before” if it retaliates, and on Sunday he touted the strength of the American military and warned the U.S. would send its “brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation.”