JUDY WOODRUFF: An elite Iranian general is dead, and the United States and Iran are closer
to conflict.
The U.S. military killed Qasem Soleimani in Iraq today.
Washington called it self-defense.
Tehran called it a crime and vowed vengeance.
Foreign affairs correspondent Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.
NICK SCHIFRIN: He was the Middle East's most recognized military commander, the strategist
and operational chief of Iran's militant network, the symbol of Iran's regional ambitions.
And Qasem Soleimani died last night, when an American drone fired missiles into his
car at Baghdad's airport.
Today, U.S. officials told "PBS NewsHour" it was a target of opportunity.
The president pre-authorized the strike.
Military and intelligence officials tracked Soleimani, and waited for him to land and
meet with this man, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraqi militias closely
aligned with Iran.
The U.S. blames Soleimani and those militias for the siege of the U.S. Embassy this week,
and for launching nearly a dozen attacks on U.S. bases, including one last Friday that
killed a U.S. contractor.
Today, President Trump said Soleimani's death prevented more attacks.
DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister
attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.
NICK SCHIFRIN: In Iran, Soleimani's death sparked widespread anger.
During Friday prayers, congregants chanted "Death to America."
Outside, they burned U.S. and Israeli flags.
And a local commander delivered a threat.
MOHAMMAD REZA YAZDI, Commander, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (through translator): The Americans
must know now that, due to the crime they have committed, they will face no safety or
peace anywhere.
NICK SCHIFRIN: The protesters also filed in front of our cameras with less anger than
sorrow.
They beat their chests and mourned a man they called
MAN (through translator): When I heard the news of the general's assassination today,
I got very sad.
I got sad because we lost a blessing, a son of God, a man the whole world knew so well.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Soleimani was one of Iran's most popular figures, outside the supreme
leader, who rose through the ranks of the military to become an icon of ruthless resistance.
As commander of the elite paramilitary Quds Force, he confronted U.S. allies around the
region and warned U.S. presidents.
QASEM SOLEIMANI, Commander, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force (through translator):
Hereby, I tell you, the gambling Mr. Trump, be aware that we are near you, where you do
not even imagine.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Soleimani helped build what he called an axis of resistance, militant
Shia Muslim groups in half-a-dozen countries or territories across the region.
In Yemen, Shia Houthi militants who receive arms from Iran fight against a coalition led
by Iran's longtime enemy Saudi Arabia.
In Syria, Soleimani personally helped convince Russia to intervene in the war, and, today,
Russia and Iranian-backed fighters have helped President Bashar al-Assad largely win the
war.
Every time Soleimani arrived in Syria, he was greeted as a hero.
In Lebanon, Iranian-founded and -backed Hezbollah threatens Israel with tens of thousands of
Iranian-provided rockets and missiles.
Today, Hezbollah supporters vowed revenge.
MAN (through translator): Call upon us.
We are here to strike the oppressors and to fight.
NICK SCHIFRIN: And in Iraq, the U.S. says fighters loyal to Soleimani killed more than
600 American troops during the Iraq War.
But despite targeting the U.S., in the war on ISIS, Soleimani provided many of the ground
troops who pushed ISIS out.
Those troops are today integrated into the Iraqi military.
And his supporters now fill Iraq's Parliament and vow to evict U.S. troops from the country.
But, today, longtime Soleimani adversary Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised
the U.S.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister: President Trump deserves all the credit for
acting swiftly, forcefully, decisively.
NICK SCHIFRIN: In Washington, the response to the strike fell largely on party lines.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell:
SEN.
MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): For too long, this evil man operated without constraint, and
countless innocents have suffered for it.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer:
SEN.
CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): This action may well have brought our nation closer to another
endless war.
NICK SCHIFRIN: But President Trump today described the attack as defensive.
DONALD TRUMP: We took action last night to stop a war.
We didn't take action to start a war.
NICK SCHIFRIN: For 15 years, U.S. officials have been following Soleimani, accusing him
of global terrorism.
DONALD TRUMP: Today, we remember and honor the victims of Soleimani's many atrocities,
and we take comfort in knowing that his reign of terror is over.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, what was left of the car where Soleimani died sat in the morning
sun.
The symbol of Iran's regional ambitions is dead, but the ambitions themselves are very
much alive and unchanged.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And Nick joins me here in the studio, along with, from Beirut, our special
correspondent, Jane Ferguson.
Jane, I want to come to you first.
What are you learning about reaction in the region, especially from the Iranian-backed
Hezbollah?
JANE FERGUSON: Well, of course, Judy, from Hezbollah, we have seen some of the strongest
reaction in terms of rhetoric so far.
They released a statement earlier on today, saying that this was a huge crime and -- quote
-- "It will be the responsibility, duty and action of all mujahideen brothers throughout
the world to take harsh revenge."
It's worth noting that it's believed he -- Soleimani was flying back to Baghdad from Beirut.
He, of course, had very strong relations here with the Iranian proxy Hezbollah.
And he had been advising both the Iraqi government and the Lebanese group Hezbollah on how to
deal with protests that were affecting them, protests that, yes, were about domestic politics,
but threatened Iranian hegemony and Iranian influence in the region.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Nick, separately, what are you learning from the administration about
the legal justification for what happened?
NICK SCHIFRIN: White House officials are very clear there's two justifications, one, self-defense.
And they say that comes both from the Constitution and also international law.
And, two, they cite the 2001 post-9/11 authorization to use military force, which, of course, Judy,
was about 9/11.
We should note that the Quds Force, that Iran had nothing to do with 9/11.
But now Presidents Trump, Obama and Bush all have used that AUMF, all used that military
force authorization to pursue military interventions across the world since 9/11.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Jane, back to you.
We know Iran involved in so many conflicts around the region.
What are you hearing about what the repercussions from this could be.
JANE FERGUSON: Like you say, Judy, their tentacles have spread so far across the region, that
the repercussions could be huge, on two sides, on both the conflicts that they are involved
in -- and that's, of course, in places like Syria, where the Iranian -- special Iranian
forces, as well as Soleimani himself, were advising and helping with the Syrian government
there -- and across Iraq, as well as here in Lebanon.
Thinking about the reaction that Iran could possibly basically invoke in the coming days
and weeks, there are so many possibilities, whether it's Hezbollah here in Lebanon, who
are one of the strongest armed groups in the region, or in Iraq in terms of mobilizing
politicians who have been already calling for U.S. troops to be pulled out of Iraq.
There are about 5,000 troops there at the moment.
And if politicians were to come to the rare moment of agreement in Iraq to vote to push
American troops out, then that, in turn, would also have a knock-on effect of basically making
U.S. troops in Syria less viable, because they are, of course, supported by bases in
Iraq.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Nick, just finally, you have been talking to officials inside and
outside the administration.
What concerns are they expressing?
NICK SCHIFRIN: One of them is exactly where Jane ended, the concern that Iraq will decide
to evict U.S. troops from Iraq.
And the Council of Representatives, the group that will decide that, will meet this weekend.
And so there is some concern that this strike will inhibit the U.S. presence in Iraq moving
forward.
Escalation, as Jane said, across the region, absolutely possible, in many ways.
The Trump administration today announced 3,000 more troops to the region.
That's 18,000 troops in the last -- over the last year or so, Judy.
That's quite a few troops for a president who says he's wanted to leave the Middle East.
And, three, some fears that I have been talking to people about, a more extreme successor.
Jane mentioned the fact that Soleimani went to Beirut, went to Damascus, went to Baghdad.
They were working on governments.
He was largely a diplomat, in addition to being a military commander.
There are people who are even more extreme than him behind him.
The administration officials I talk to, though, say, look, we had the chance.
We had to kill this person.
He's got too much blood on his hands.
We couldn't give this shot up.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So many threads to this story.
Nick Schifrin, Jane Ferguson, thank you both.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.