Iran will target US civilians -- even a senior government official -- after Suleimani strike: Ex-CIA deputy director

A former top CIA official warned that President Donald Trump's military strike that left an Iranian general dead would eventually lead to the deaths of American civilians.

Michael Morell, former acting and deputy CIA director, told "CBS This Morning" that Iran would most certainly retaliate strongly to the drone strike that killed Qassem Suleimani.

"Suleimani was an evil genius, he had a lot of American blood on his hands," Morell said. "The world is a better place without him. The problem is that comes at a very high cost. Number one, there will be dead Americans, dead civilian Americans, as a result of this. Possibly over the next few days in any place where Iran has its proxies, Iraq is the most likely place, but also Lebanon, Bahrain, other places in the Middle East."

But he said Iran would eventually seek a high-profile target.

"At a time and place of their choosing, they're going to conduct a terrorist strike that kills a senior American official," Morell said. "And that could be anywhere in the world."

Morell said Iran had already made plans to strike a target on U.S. soil.

"Lebanese Hezbollah, which is one of [Iran's] closest allies, has contingency plans and those include plans in the United States against U.S. targets," Morell said. "Such a terrorist attack could occur soon."