Michael Morell: Iran Will Kill Senior US Official in Retaliation

While Iran will be careful not to strike U.S. military, it will use its proxies to ultimately exact revenge by having its proxies kill a senior American official, potentially in the U.S., according to former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell.

"I think what the Iranians are going to do, they're going to turn their proxies loose throughout the region to go after civilians, and, at a time and place of their choosing, they're going to conduct a terrorist strike that kills a senior American official," Morell, who served former President Barack Obama, told "CBS This Morning" on Friday. "And that could be anywhere in the world.

"The Iranians and Lebanese Hezbollah, their main ally, have contingency plans on the books for such terrorist attacks. So, such a terrorist attack could occur soon."

Morell, who said Lebanese Hezbollah has plans for a terror strike in the U.S. "on the books," did tell host Anthony Mason the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani was justified, but it comes at a high cost.

"He had a lot of blood on his hands," Morell said of Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds force. "He was the mastermind behind Iranian malign behavior in the region. The world is a better place without him. The problem is that comes at a very high cost.

"Number one, there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans as a result of this, possibly over the next few days, in any place Iran has its proxies. Iraq is the most likely place, but also Lebanon, Bahrain, other places in the Middle East.

"Number two, this sets a precedent, that senior officials are fair game in this hybrid, not-yet-at-war scenario that we're in with Iran, and that's a dangerous precedent to set."

Also, the strike at Soleimani at President Donald Trump's order strengthened anti-America narrative in Iran and ends U.S. hopes of keeping Iraq out of Iranian hands, according to Morell.

What Iran will not risk, in lieu of proxy terror attacks, is a face-to-face battle with the U.S. military, Morell said.

"I think if they think about it rationally, Anthony, they will not conduct a military strike on the U.S. military forces in the region, because they're going to lose that battle," he concluded.

• Iran UN Diplo: There'll Be 'Harsh Revenge' for Soleimani Killing
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