By the Associated Press:
President Donald Trump is declaring that a “reign of terror is over” as he marks the death of an Iranian general killed in a U.S. strike.
Trump said from Florida that Gen. Qassem Soleimani “made the death of innocent people his sick passion,” and should have been hunted down years ago.
The Pentagon is scrambling to reinforce the American military presence in the Middle East in preparation for reprisals. As part of that, the U.S. is sending nearly 3,000 more Army troops to the Mideast, and it’s placed a brigade in Italy on alert to fly to Beirut if needed to protect the embassy there
The United States Park Police says it’s stepping up patrols and vigilance at landmarks and icons in three major American metropolitan areas as a result of mounting tensions with Iran.
The agency is responsible for protecting some of the major federal sites in Washington, New York and San Francisco. Those include the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty.
Separately, Arlington National Cemetery said on Twitter that it would be increasing its security and intensifying its identification checks.
