A strikingly intelligent maneuver today.
Iran needed to show *some* formal response for the hit on its consulate in Damascus. But this delayed, heavily telegraphed, and ultimately moderate military display establishes it as the cooler head *even if* its action today emboldens other actors to act with greater force.
This isn't a game of chicken; this is military powers trying not to be the one to make *the* tipping point move.
May we all rest a little easier in our armchairs, for now.
@MLClark I am honestly asking, is this meant to be sarcastic?
Which part?
@MLClark Your response to the post.
No, not sarcastic. But observing that a country needed to show force on a political level (for its own allies / people) isn't an endorsement of Iran or any state.
What Iran has done has created plausible deniability for its own responsibility in further action in the region. Emboldened Houthi and other operatives may continue their attacks, but Iran gets to claim that it's just responding to an attack on its own, for now.
What seemed sarcastic about that assessment?
I appreciate the question, and opportunity to clarify, EL Butterfield! This was a stressful uncertainty for us all to witness, and I imagine that nerves will continue to be high for a while.
I'm glad we could talk it out in more "characters" to address the mess of internet tone.
@MLClark Some sarcasm is very dry to the point of stating the opposite of what the author thinks. Now I understand your meaning better.