Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell, who has recently endorsed Hillary Clinton, has caused a firestorm when he said that the United States should covertly kill Russians and Iranians in Syria, with Russian lawmakers denouncing the remarks as "monstrous" and experts saying that he merely confirmed what Washington has secretly been doing.

Vladimir Vasilyev, a senior research fellow at the Moscow-based Institute of US and Canada Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, maintained that Morell's comments should be taken at face value.

On Monday, Michael Morell, who served as CIA's acting director twice, told talk show host Charlie Rose that the US "must make" Russia and Iran "pay a price" in Syria by "covertly" killing their nationals. "You don't tell the world about it, right? You don't stand up at the Pentagon and say, 'we did this.' Right? But you make sure they know it in Moscow and Tehran," he added.

This is "what the United States has secretly and surreptitiously been doing and most importantly what Washington will do if Hillary (Barf-insert Democratic ad here) wins presidential election," he told RIA Novosti. "Russia should understand who it is dealing with. In fact, Moscow could thank Morell for leaking important information on Washington's true goals in Syria."