By A Correspondent- As tensions rise in the Middle East following the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, more than 3,000 US troops are preparing to deploy to the region — leaving behind thousands of family members and loved ones.

The city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is home to many of these families — it’s close to the Fort Bragg military installation, which houses more than 53,000 troops.

One woman told CNN her husband was already deployed for training. He had been due to train in Africa, then go to the Mediterranean to be stationed in European countries — but they found out today that he’s being rerouted to the Middle East.

Thousands of people are mourning Qasem Soleimani in the Iran capital of Tehran — but they are also visibly angry.

Many in the crowd have been there for hours, since before sunrise, grieving for one of the country’s top military leaders. These past few days, there have also been furious anti-US protests, both in Iran and the Iraq capital of Baghdad.

“They want what they call hard revenge,” said CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen, who is in Tehran. “I don’t know if you can hear the chants coming from behind me — a lot of them say, ‘Down with the USA,’ also ‘Death to the USA.’”

“As they keep pointing out, he’s one of the people that fought against ISIS. They believe that he was someone that made this country safer. Of course, the international reputation that he has is very different, but for these folks here he is no less than a hero,” Pleitgen added.