REPORTER 1: “He was a war hero, the commander of Iran’s feared Quds Force.”
REPORTER 2: “Qasem Soleimani was no ordinary general. The U.S. officially classified him as a terrorist, but in Iran, he was a national hero.”
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ZAKARIA: “He’s regarded as personally incredibly brave, the troops love him.”
COOPER: “I was trying to think of somebody, I was thinking of de Gaulle.”
WILLIAMS: “A revered figure in Iran and some other places in the Middle East.”
REPORTER 3: “Smart, charismatic, ruthless, strategic and bold, his power made Iranians proud.”
WILLIAMS: “But even many of Soleimani’s enemies admitted he was a military genius.”
MORELL: “Qasem Soleimani was an evil genius.”
REPORTER 4: “Soleimani was in charge of spreading Iranian influence around the world and he was extremely good at it.”
ZAKARIA: “He is the — think of the French Foreign Legion, if you will.”
WILLIAMS: “By killing Qasem Soleimani, the U.S. has stripped Iran of an inspirational military leader.”
RADDATZ: “The crowds are massive and emotional, there are many tears here.”
REPORTER 5: “Thousands of mourners on the streets in Iran. Symbolic caskets aloft, weeping and chanting ‘I am Soleimani.’”
RADDATZ: “The Supreme Leader of Iran weeping and praying over a coffin draped in the Iraqi flag.”
ZAKARIA: “It’s difficult to convey how revered he is.”
REPORTER 6: “There was talk in Iran Soleimani might be a future president or perhaps even a supreme leader.”
