The President's Tweet followed a statement by Iranian General Gholamali Abuhamzeh warning of a possible attack on "vital American targets in the region" that he said Iran had identified a "long time ago...some 35 US targets in the region, as well as Tel Aviv, are within our reach."

The exchange follows the Jan 3. U.S. military drone attack, reportedly authorized by President Trump, that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani who headed the Teheran regime's Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force. Soleimani had just arrived at Baghdad airport (shortly after midnight mideast time) and was traveling in a convoy with officials from Teheran-backed Iraqi militias when a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone fired missiles into the convoy, killing Soleimani and those accompanying him.

The Pentagon issued a statement saying "General Suleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region...General Suleimani and his Quds Force were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members and the wounding of thousands more."

The U.S. attack followed the death of an American contractor in a Dec. 27 rocket attack by an Iranian-backed militia. On Jan. 2, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the "game has changed" and U.S. would preemptively strike Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria if there were indications the groups were planning attacks against American bases and personnel in the region.

Iran's Defense Minister, Amir Hatami, has threatened the U.S. with "crushing revenge" and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said "severe revenge awaits the criminals" behind the attack. A red flag was seen flying atop a prominent Mosque in the holy city of Qom, a traditional call for bloody revenge.

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On Jan. 3 at 2:28 p.m. PST, LBPD posted the following message on its Facebook page: "The #LBPD is aware of the military situation overseas. While there is no current connection to #LongBeach, we will continue to provide increased patrols and visibility throughout the city for the duration of the weekend, and will continue to monitor the developing situation. We remind everyone to "See Something, Say Something" and to immediately report suspicious or criminal activity by calling (562) 435-6711 or 9-1-1 for emergencies."

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In his initial response to the U.S. military action, Cong. Alan Lowenthal (D, LB-west OC) wrote on his Facebook page on Jan. 3 at 7:09 a.m.: "General Soleimani was a threat to the United States. I am shocked, however, that President Trump’s provocative actions were not authorized by Congress. He is risking wider conflict between the U.S. and Iran with far reaching and dangerous consequences. I am continuing to monitor the situation and demand that the Administration immediately brief the Congress. It is critical that we work with allies and partners to protect lives across the region and to deescalate the situation as soon as possible."

On Jan 4, President Trump sent a notification to Congress consistent with the 1973 War Powers Act.

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Below is the full text of President Trump's Jan. 4 Tweet:

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!

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