but the political system in lebanon is now under greater threat than ever before the shiite hezbollah the party of god is growing in strength many of its supporters despise the lebanese state. and the last friday of the fasting month of ramadan has been a celebrate could see or to do some day which goes back to the time of the arraignment later ayatollah khomeini an event that centers on the dome of the rock in jerusalem . has been the cause self the party of resistance resistance to its own allegedly powerless state and resistance to israel. oh i know you said that resistance has proved successful but by hezbollah not the state this resistance movement emerged the moment it became clear that the state was powerless to do anything oh well you should stay a lot us in the south of the country to be humiliated by the occupying israelis on a daily basis and the resistance movement consists of all of these people here but no you know stay is an international day not just for us but for every country and with god's help in the near future we will put an end to israel's existence as long. as

i suppose and financed by iran the shiite hezbollah party of god has had a huge impact on the political fabric of lebannon. as follows critics would say yes that this does the stabilized region hezbollah supporters would say that as well as ministries strength is an asset for love. because that keeps israel away. in the civil war in syria the hezbollah militia defended the ascent regime now they're back in levanon in stronger shape than ever. the more they are fighting to defend is the model of bashar assad which this is it's a she. bought just to what extent does has ability turman the course of politics in lebanon. beirut the lebanese capital still bears the scars of a civil war that for more than 15 years crippled the city and the country as a whole see and saddam was among those who fall back then he was just 16 years old when he 1st held the weapon in his hands. the civil war erupted in 1975 like virtually the entire country beirut became a battlefield. the war initially saw christian militias fighting against the palestinian liberation organization and p.l.o. which was threatening

like the shiite militia that attacked the u.s. embassy many of these militant groups came to prominence during the fight against so-called islamic state shiite iraqis trained in iran who were central to defeating i-s. and many of them took their orders from sort of money. iraqi lawmakers call out no to america iran's influence pervades iraq's political class too in the 2018 elections $45.00 former shiite militiamen won seats in parliament that election also made a deal of the prime minister he was long a member of a shiite party based in iran abdul mahdi resigned after mass antigovernment protests at the end of 2019 he remains acting prime minister but with the government on the verge of collapse protesters have been calling for a new political order one without corruption and sectarianism and without u.s. and iranian interference and merican soldiers ready to deploy to the middle east the position of the us in iraq has been shifting over the past decade in 2011 former u.s. president barack obama pulled u.s. troops out of the coun

like this shiite militia that attacked the u.s. embassy many of these militant groups came to prominence during the fight against so-called islamic state shiite iraqis trained in iran was central to defeating i-s. and many of them took their orders from sort of money. iraqi lawmakers call out no to america iran's influence pervades iraq's political class to end the $28000.00 elections $45.00 former shiite militiamen won seats in parliament that election also made a deal of the prime minister he was long a member of a shiite party based in iran abdul mahdi resigned after mass antigovernment protests at the end of 2019 he remains acting prime minister but with the government on the verge of collapse protesters have been calling for a new political order one without corruption and sectarianism and without the u.s. and iranian interference and merican soldiers ready to deploy to the middle east the position of the us in iraq has been shifting over the past decade in 2011 former u.s. president barack obama pulled u.s. troops out of the

like the shiite militia that attacked the u.s. embassy many of these militant groups came to prominence during the fight against so-called islamic state shiite iraqis trained in iran was central to defeating i-s. and many of them took their orders from sort of money. iraqi lawmakers call out no to america iran's influence pervades iraq's political class too in the 28000 elections 45 form a shiite militia men won seats in parliament that election also made a deal of the prime minister he was long a member of a shiite party based in iran abdul mahdi resigned after mass anti government protests at the end of 2019 he remains acting prime minister but with the government on the verge of collapse protesters have been calling for a new political order one without corruption and sectarianism and without u.s. and iranian interference and merican soldiers ready to deploy to the middle east the position of the us in iraq has been shifting over the past decade in 2011 former u.s. president barack obama pulled u.s. troops out of the country de

many of them shiite demonstrators. all of that changed. , and if influence now rack is left to its own devices -- iraq is left to its own devices, it will be a furthering of influence. first and foremost by iran, which already has a deep and existing network of influence. and then the defeated but not read isis. i would not be surprised if u.s. military leaves, and the military as we know has already isis infighting against order to brace for what they thought might be an iranian counterattack, isis would be the beneficiary. the narrative has changed. the parliament voted not to ask iran to leave, but asked in a nonbinding resolution. symbolically, it's important. host: mike, california, go ahead. caller: good morning, gentlemen. quote a former american president, john quincy adams, who said that america does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. she is the well of freedom and independence of all, a champion and a vindicator only of her own. president reagan actually implemented this regarding apartheid in so

and shiites against iran. ...that qassem soleimani leave here were burned by demonstrators many of them shiite demonstrators but all of that changed and iran's influence now begins and iraq is left to its own devices and it forces withdraw it will become an absolute place where two forces to try to further their influence. first and foremost iran which has a very deep network and then defeated but not dead isis. if the u.s. military leaves and they start training and fighting against isis for what they thought i'd be an iranian counterattack isis would either beneficiary and iran i think has benefited already because the attitude has changed. the iraqi parliament as i said voted not to ask iran to leave by the nonbinding resolution but i'm not sure we'll ever happen but symbolically it's important. >> guest: . >> host: micah's and california and independent line. go ahead. >> caller: good morning gentlemen. i'd like to quote john quincy adams could he said america does not go abroad in search of monsters to destro

saddam hussein cast the sunni arabs from the top of society down to the bottom and catapulted the shiite arabs who are at the bottom of society previously under saddam hussein 60 percent of the population to the top and gave them the government. and the government is run by shiites today they have a majority in parliament and they voted for america to get out they are sympathetic to slow money they're sympathetic to iran the shiites i am long in iraq look at ceylon each eliminate as a hero he came in he saved them from isis sweeping in possibly going to take baghdad and in 2014 he organized the shiite militias he armed them he helped iran helped them to turn back isis so did america but many people are grateful to so muscly money for that now sunni arabs many of them look at silly money as a criminal in the same way that george that excuse me in the same way that president trumped us but iraq is divided the thing is that the shiites have the majority and they voted and they are sympathetic to by and large to simply money and that's something going to america did they did not understand a

to get out they are sympathetic to slow money they're sympathetic to iran the shiites i am locked in iraq look at ceylon each eliminate as a hero he came in he saved them from isis sweeping in possibly going to take baghdad and in 2014 he organized the shiite militias he armed them he helped iran helped them to turn back isis so did america but many people are grateful to still months away money for that now sunni arabs many of them look at silly money as a criminal in the same way that george that excuse me in the same way that president trumped us but iraq is divided the thing is that the shiites have the majority and they voted and they are sympathetic and by and large to simply money and that's something that america did they did not understand america did not understand iraqi realities and that's been born in and out time after time we've miscalculated at almost every turn all right so before we go let's just recap what's happened for you in the last few hours iran has fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles to iraqi air bases that host american assets it said it was in retal

fellow shiites in southern iraq. so certainly there is more divisions and more conquering to be done but life is going to be more difficult for the americans because now iran has lost all hope of reaching some kind of cooperation with trump who is bent on perhaps protecting his image after the impeachment in the congress ironically it's very interesting just days before clinton was impeached in 1980 he launched a strike against iraq a 100 people were killed at least missed on strike so it's very whatever there is impeachment in the air in washington iraq somehow gets hit and it's. just a side note but you just. seems to be the case actually. so. we hope as this plays out we can come back to you and get more analysis it's always interesting to hear a thought from state analytics. all right let's stick with of the broader region but switch gears a little bit president trump thinks that foreign interference could complicate the situation in libya and he raised those concerns during a call with president of turkey both l

remember it's not just a pivotal moment for the iraqi shiite militias. in an earlier incarnation of the groups, the u.s. referred to them as the special groups back in the day. back shortly after the united states invaded iraq. it was the special groups. iranian backed shiite militias from the sunni backed al qaeda groups in other parts of baghdad and the west of the country. the shia militias were operating mostly out of the east of the country. they've have been anning tagoni for 20 years. this is not all that much of a switch. the only difference was when isis came up back in 2014 and moved swiftly into iraq. there was this uncomfortable bed fellows between the united states and shia militias that used to kill u.s. troops. then it was the u.s. targeting isis from the air using their drone attacks and it was mostly these shiite militia groups backed by iran fighting isis on the ground. and that has now shifted. there is going to be retaliation and on iraqi soil. hezbollah is only one of several. this are many of them. many of them are backed by iran to

drone strike killed iran's top general, qassem soleimani, and an iraqi shiite militia leader who was with him the u.s. military denied reports it targeted the shiite militias again last night in a second strike in iraq the u.s. embassy in iraq was on pins and needles. american aircraft have been patrolling above to see if protesters would storm the complex. marines on guard inside 3,000 more u.s. troops are heading to the region reinforcements from the airborne division heading out today. this time, the conflict may not be limited to iraq. iran's president was only the latest official in this country to promise revenge against the united states. but where and when the u.s. men's national soccer team postponed a training trip to qatar, citing security reasons iran has a network of militias it can rely on and mobilize, from lebanon to syria, afghanistan to iraq. a shadow army of militias and guerrilla groups across the avenge their late leader a place of their choosing. >> richard joins us again live what do we know about the rocket attack today? >> reporter: the u.s. military issued a

they were shiites. and they were protesting the fact that we attacked the five targets in iraq that were occupied by shiite militias and killed 25 people in the process. that's what they were objecting to, and they were signalling that they are going to stand by their ally, iran. i think that's what's happened. i think we have actually forced the two together. there's cohesion now that was weakening. what people don't understand is that there are no people that are good guys in the region. when you attack iran or you attack the shiites in iraq, you are ultimately helping the sunni islamists that are operating out of syria. the people we call isis, al qaeda -- >> because we threw in with the iranians in order to defeat isis as well. as you step back and look at the entire region, you are right, i don't see any good guys. and the president has said i want to pull away from endless entanglement where there is no upside for america. what's the right next move then, for the white house to focus on that? >> t

washington says it confident it knows who's backing the shiite militia as president donald trump tweeted earlier. iran is orchestrating an attack on the u.s. embassy in iraq they will be held fully responsible. it was only after several hours that iraqi security forces arrived to protect the embassy grounds. angela merkel is calling on germans to be courageous and confident in meeting the challenges of a new decade the german chancellor also used her annual new year's eve address to stress the need to tackle climate change. it's the end of the year and the end of the decade the world is getting even more complicated but german chancellor angela merkel doesn't paint a bleak picture even if she clearly points to a pressing issue the key word climate. the global warming is real it threatens us it is caused by human activity as are the crises that arise out of global warming so we must do all that is humanly possible to combat this challenge to humanity there is still time know if that's mickey americal says the recently agreed climate protection laws a step in the right direction even of yo

and so when the americans went in basically they empowered the shiite majority. and soleimani stepped in and empowered, created, directed, armed, trained these shiite militias. but during the american war they killed hundreds of americans. and that was soleimani like pulling the levers. and there was a particular thing called an efp, explosively formed pen traretrator, really y lethal leds and they could penetrate armor, and those were made in iranian factories by the hundreds. >> let's talk a bit about the militias because he was traveling with a militia leader who was killed, another shia militia leader was apparently struck in this air strike. what role do they play in the iraqi state? >> well, it's weird because that role has changed. these guys were enemies, i mean the guy who was killed last night was a sworn enemy of the united states. and then when isis took over a large part of iraq they became our friends because they're shia, they wanted to fight the sunies and we basically coordinated with them. >> we have this alliance and soleimani too is also leadi

made it as far as the last security wall of the embassy building in baghdad among the demonstrators shiite clergy and a radical militia leader. the other look on that even though this is the command center for the destructive operations it was from here that iraq's sovereignty was violated. the demonstrators managed to force their way into the compound in the afternoon they remained there until security personnel deployed tear gas to disperse them. washington says it's confident it knows who's backing the shiite militia as president donald trump tweeted earlier. iran is orchestrating an attack on the u.s. embassy in iraq they will be held fully responsible. it was only after several hours that iraqi security forces arrived to protect the embassy grounds. well angela merkel is calling on germans to be courageous and confident in making the challenges of a new decade the german chancellor also used her annual new year's eve address to stress the need to klak tackle climate change. it's the end of the year and the end of the decade the world is getting even more complicated but german chancel

made it as far as the last security wall of the embassy building in baghdad among the demonstrators shiite clergy and a radical militia leader. the other look on the unit this is the command center for the destructive operations it was from here that iraq's sovereignty was violated all of that was the demonstrators managed to force their way into the compound in the afternoon they remained there until security personnel deployed tear gas to disperse them. washington says it's confident it knows who's backing the shiite militia as president donald trump tweeted earlier. iran is orchestrating an attack on the u.s. embassy in iraq they will be held fully responsible. it was only after several hours that iraqi security forces arrived to protect the embassy grounds. we have some sports now in l.a. had to stun the world this year by running the 1st non-official marathon distance under 2 hours as performances focused attention though on a new running shoe. use the show it's under investigation by authorities to have used talk to some experts and if the show itself around. the secret to the succes

air strike also in iraq, also targeting pro-iranian forces, shiite led pro-iranian militias. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in iraq tonight. he notes in response this is not the sort of news you would expect if the u.s. government were actually pursuing de-escalation. richard also tying this reported air strike tonight to an event tomorrow in iraq that should probably now be on all of our radar. an iraqi security official tells nbc news there's been another air strike north of baghdad, targeting shiite militia leaders, reports of six killed, this right before a big shiite protest tomorrow in baghdad. quote, it seems certain to provoke an escalation. richard engel is going to join us live next from northern iraq. but thousands more u.s. troops are being sent into the region as of today. u.s. civilians today were told to get out of iraq immediately. former u.n. ambassador and former u.s. national security advisor susan rice is also going to join us live momentarily tonight. this is a time of profound uncertainty. but in terms of assessing the risk and thi

kind of blitzkrieg trying to target as many militia leaders as possible of the shiite militia leaders particularly those close to iran because there are various shiite militias in it in mind that not just those who support that support iran. perhaps my guess is that it's trying to trigger a reaction from iran it wants iran to react in taking a false move because iran the there is a great symmetry between the capabilities that military capabilities of iran and the united states where iran can strike requires some planning and some might give reality in. chess playing whereas the u.s. has huge bullets a huge fire power so that's what they're going to use and i think they're going to continue these strikes. my i was i was thinking about it today i think the ultimate strategy is to provoke a war which as seen by the protests in iran over the past few weeks will be unpopular and in such as to increase the pressure on the government from the iranian population itself already tired of sanctions from after decades of sanctions and economic stagnation perhaps that might be the strategy to to t

there are shiite in parts of afghanistan.ran is powerful is where it had natural allies, and the concern is now those natural allies are going to use this moment to fight back, to defend their former patron in this much larger region. when people are looking out now and they're saying what just happened? what did we do? the danger is i don't think so much that there is going to be a massive attack in the united states against civilians. there could be attacks against u.s. military, against u.s. diplomatic facilities. but much more likely those attacks would take place in the region, destabilizing attacks to try and drive american forces out of this region, because that really is what this is all about. iran does not want to have a big american presence in iraq which after all at the end of the day is right on iran's border. so the danger, the real risk is that we're going to see further instability in the middle east with the u.s. dragged into yet another war. president trump has said time and time again, he wants to get out

to get out they are sympathetic to slow money they're sympathetic to iran the shiites i unlocked in iraq look at ceylon each sulaimani as a hero he came in he saved them from isis sweeping in possibly going to take baghdad in 2014 he organized the shiite militias he armed them he helped iran helped them to turn back isis so did america but many people are grateful to so muscly money for that sunni arabs many of them look at silly money as a criminal in the same way that george that excuse me in the same way that president trumped us but iraq is divided the thing is that the shiites have the majority and they voted and they are sympathetic and by and large facility money and that's something that america did they did not understand america did not understand iraqi realities and that's been born in an out time after time we've miscalculated at almost every turn is there any chance joshua in your mind to read it to the iranians have now done is symbolically significant and will be a one off. it's not a one off you know this is a once that the arms deal once they did nuclear deal with s

just across the border in iran, you have a shiite majority country.was qasem soleimani who saw this as an opportunity and forged a very, very close relationship. he saw that baghdad was in disarray. he saw that the americans were bringing one man, one vote democratic norms and procedures to iraq. and decided this was iran's opportunity to set up military alliances. to set up political influences and then set up these, this network of very powerful shia militias. the shia militias that tomorrow in close proximity to the green zone where the u.s. embassy is are going to be out on the streets mourning the deaths of one of their top commanders. the deputy head of all the shia militias and qasem soleimani. it is a long relationship, but i want to watch how it plays out. >> i know it is complicated and i asked you a very large question which requires much more than a few minutes. >> no. >> but what i'm getting at is the green zone, the protesters that stormed the embassy, the protesters, quote, unquote protesters that stormed the embassy the other day were

air strike also in iraq, also targeting pro-iranian forces, shiite led pro-iranian militias. nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in iraq tonight. he notes in response this is not the sort of news you would expect if the u.s. government were actually pursuing deescalation, which also tying this reported air strike tonight to an event tomorrow in iraq which should probably be on all of our raiders. an iraqi security official tells nbc news there's been another air strike north of baghdad, reports of six killed, this right before a big shiite protest tomorrow in baghdad. quote, it seems certain to provoke an escalation. richard engel is going to join us live next from northern iraq. but thousands more u.s. troops are being sent into the region as of today. u.s. civilians today were told to get out of iraq immediately. former u.n. ambassador and former u.s. national security advisor susan rice is also going to join us live momentarily tonight. this is time of profound uncertainty. but in terms of assessing the risk and think about who's in danger, thinking about

parties that belong to the popular mobilisation forces now the 2 biggest blocks in parliament are shiite led blocs there is the big coalition which is the largest bloc and it consists mostly of political parties with close links to iran they have been basically leading the call for the departure of the us troops from iraq we also have a party that is led by a shiite cleric mark that assad or his party has in the past also supported such a motion so it remains to be seen whether we will have corum it remains to be seen which parties will actually support legislation to see the departure of u.s. troops but there are also questions of how this would actually happen there is no bill that has been proposed by the prime minister's office that parliament could actually vote on and there is actually a legal issue with a caretaker government which is what we have at the moment proposing legislation this is not something that is considered in line of the constitution so what could happen is that parliament would actually knol the existing agreement that exists between the u.s. and between iraq to

shiite in iraq from the shiite in iran?? are they all on the same page? question, very good very tough to answer. they do feel affinity.religious affinity . that is important. they are not on the same page. we have seen that recently with protests in iraq, which were against the regime. -- the flag being burned iranian flag being burned because people saw them as supporting the regime and interfering in both the shiite population and arab, or is obviously in iran, this is a persian population. there are significant differences. very good question. it is impossible to parse precisely. theseith my ignorance, are incredibly important images from iran. 600 miles from tehran, to the northwest. captures the geography of iran in the afternoon. nejra: mark, we have talked about escalation and the killing ofe of the qasem soleimani. is there any prospect of de-escalation? is it just about waiting and watching? mark: we will have to wait and watch. he is a very popular man. one has to remember, even people who don't like the regime,

influence they call it the shiite crescent. the arabic word is not civil war we're in a business right now of creating and some place in sectarian violence. situation because we're trying to destroy and liquidate in mali of a crime to get all the training. area. it really has the world gone mad but not enough. to realize how mad. when. you read the news coming out it was. like americans are living under a kind of a few world of no relating to. where i'm. sitting. today there are good terrorists and. the bad terrorists those in yemen who the united states deems to be a threat the good those who are in syria the joke here is we've been there before i mean if you consider the of the honest on story they have learned nothing. today if i see the saudis are giving money to groups in syria that are not only loosely but also. if you want a conspiracy theory as to what i'm just trying to. in the moment of the condemn pretty. dangerous. sounds insane. so what appears to have been a conspiracy at the time. to be true. we must address the

he encouraged sectarianism, radicalization of shiite communities. they supported sunni jihadists. sending weaponry to sunni jihadis in iraq and afghanistan. reuel, i'm sorry, we have a little bit of time and i just want to give treater the last word. >> look, it's not about whether iran is also a destabilizing actor or the idea that only one actor can be destabilizing. unfortunately, you have several destabilizing actors. the question we have to ask ourselves, has the order militarized made them safer and the middle east more stable? the answer is quite clear, it has not worked. we should be pursuing other paths instead of doubling down on something that has been devastating to the middle east, regardless of what the iranians are doing, and they're doing a lot of bad things as well, and made america less safe. if we're pursuing national interests, we should not organize around the principle that the best thing is revenge around iran. that is not a policy that will make america better off. >> this is a very important debate and we will return to it. i am sorry we are out of time, b

supporters of iranian-backed shiite militias attacked the american embassy for a second day. u.s. security forces kept hundreds at bay with tear gas and rubber bullets. the department of defense showed this video, showing marines in kuwait locked and loaded, then arriving overnight to reinforce the united states' largest largest embassy. while up to 750 paratroopers from fort bragg are en route. a show of force as president trump talked tough at a new year's eve party at mar-a-lago. >> we have some of our greatest warriors there. they got in there very quickly. as soon as we saw there was a potential for problem, they got in, and there was no problem whatsoever. >> reporter: this crisis began when an american contractor was killed on an iraqi base. the u.s. blamed iranian-backed shiite militias and targeted several of their bases with air strikes in iraq and syria, killing more than two dozen fighters. iraqi security forces of the heavily fortified green zone melted away as supporters of those same militias vented their anger at the embassy. the past 48 hours saw a dangerous escal

iraqis disapprove of iran's strong influence on the country's politics but iraq also has a large shiite population that sees iran as a friend above all iraqis fear being dragged into a us marine in conflict. america and iran should solve their problems outside iraq we don't want them to solve them inside iraq because that doesn't serve our interests the people who have gathered here aren't celebrating the killing of silly money or anyone else because it doesn't serve us at the end of the day. the conflict was already retching up before this latest airstrike on thursday 750 american soldiers arrived in kuwait now washington has directed u.s. citizens in iraq to get out of the country immediately. and for more on this story we're joined in the studio by d.w. reporter today is a talker and in washington by d.w. . naaman now to reason has vowed harsh revenge what form do you think that that could take and when well the islamic republic will have to react that's for sure because that was the killing of its top military leader and not necessarily now but for sure at some point in the not too

again, there was a bit of a power struggle among iraqis, where soleimani and shiite militias gained in strength and with the rise of isis and its itasion of iraq in 2014, brought the united states and the coalition back into the country, but also gave soleimani and their forces -- and the forces a chance to legitimize malicious that they created earlier and expand on that. this changed significantly with the trump administration and 2017. whens clear by this time the administration withdrew from the iran nuclear agreement and impose the maximum campaign on iran that the relationship is going to fundamentally change. and the reaction of iran initially was relatively predictable, from the american withdrawal from the agreement and the position of economic sanctions, iran tried to work with european countries, with china and other trading partners to find workarounds to prevent the american economic sanctions from having a profound effect on the iranian economy. they try that for the better part of a year and almost got into a deal with the european union, but that fell apart because of t

that soleimani moved throughout the middle east, there was not a lot of operational security, the shiiteia members were targeting u.s. forces in iraq, they too moved around and they viewed themselves sort of above u.s. strikes, what about the iranian leadership itself today, are they moving around, you think with, a lot more fear than they were before? >> absolutely. it's great, this is what i did, i guess you could call locating services, that's the best i could say right now. yeah, they are worried, there are a lot more worried about us than we are about them right now and i think when you saw the president talking about the 52 targets, there's a lot more than that, we have a mission that's looking at high-value targets. leland: it always remarkable as we watch the videos out of iran of pictures of soleimani haven't spent a lot of time in arab capitals as you did, hard to find taxi with air-conditioning but if you want 10,000 posters of a guy they appeared immediately. how much is government organized versus genuine anger? >> we talked about groups that iran has done under forces and a