Iranian ballistic missile units went into "a heightened state of readiness" Saturday, prompting President Donald Trump's warning against Iranian retaliation, a source told The New York Times.
News of Iranian preparations were reported by American spy agencies, per the report.
It was unclear if the missile site activity was a function of offense to retaliate or enhancing defense amid increased tensions in the region after the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qud force commander Qassem Soleimani, another source told the Times.
Regardless, after hearing of the spy intelligence, Trump tweeted his all-caps WARNING from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, any retaliation by Iran put his 52 targets at risk of another strike:
"Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently....
"....hundreds of Iranian protesters. He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years. 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 & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!"
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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