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On January 5, 2020, Lebanese Political Analyst Faysal Abdel Sater spoke about Iranian retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander of Qods Force Qasem Soleimani on Al-Jazeera Network. In the interview Abdel Sater said that there may be more than one retaliation, the primary retaliation will naturally be in Iraq, because it is the "scene of the crime." The other arena will stretch from Palestine to Uzbekistan. He added that this is not necessarily what the Iranians will do but what the American logic will be. He continued to say that any American assets can be targeted at any moment, such as embassies, high-ranking officials, military bases, navy vessels, etc. He said that "Iran considers retaliation as something absolute and inevitable." Abdel Sater insinuated that U.S. soil may also be a target for Iranian retaliation.
Faysal Abdel Sater: "There may be more than one retaliation. The main retaliation – the one that will provide an important moral significance in terms of politics, morale, and military – will be in Iraq. This is natural and logical, because the scene of the crime was Iraq, and Iraq was also targeted and attacked, with the martyrdom of Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, General Soleimani's comrade in arms.
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"The other arena [for retaliation] stretches from Palestine all the way to Uzbekistan. The Americans have to think about how it is going to happen. I am speaking using American logic. This is not necessarily what the Iranians will decide, or how they are going to act. There is a variety of possibilities. In other words, any American interest, any American embassy, any high-ranking American official, any American base, any frigate, any destroyer, any I-don't-know-what – can be targeted at any moment.
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"Let me tell you loud and clear: All options are open. Iran considers retaliation as something absolute and inevitable. If it does not happen today, it will happen tomorrow, and if it doesn't happen tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow.
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"Regarding the 52 sites [in Iran that President Trump threatened to strike] – well, I believe that the US is also made up of 52 states."