Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Joe Biden "has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades," and it looks like that .00 batting average continued with Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran last night.
While America was sleeping, Israel was conducting an early-morning missile strike on Iran.
From the Washington Post:
Iranian state media was muted in its response to the attack, saying its air defense systems had intercepted "three small drones" in Isfahan province. The area is home to sensitive facilities — an Iranian military base and key nuclear labs — but the attack appeared to be only a pinprick given Israel's long-range military capabilities.
With Israel tight-lipped after the attack and Iran downplaying its significance, the two sides appear to be hoping the exchanges so far maybe be enough to satisfy domestic audiences without requiring further escalation.
We'll get back to that last point in a sec.
Isfahan is Iran's third-largest city of 2.2 million people with an important history to the Iranian people, once serving as the capital of the Persian Empire. It also has air defense systems and an airbase that protect important research facilities in Iran's quest to become a nuclear power.
Some people speculated that the missiles destroyed Iran's fleet of 50-year-old F-14 Tomcats that are kept at the airbase in Isfahan, though what purpose that would serve is unclear.
Whatever the target, it was meant to send a message about Israel's vastly superior airpower.
To save face, the Iranian regime has refused to acknowledge any damage. It said there were some explosions at a "factory," but assured its citizens that everything was fine in Isfahan.
Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran's space program, claimed that there were three drones that had been easily shot down.
Meanwhile, discovery of an Israeli missile booster falling in eastern Iraq near the Iranian border was reported:
Whatever the details, Israel had dealt Iran "an eye for an eye" and was satisfied to let the Iranians save face by pretending that no damage had been done.
But for some reason, the Biden admin - the same admin that told Iran that a low-key strike on Israel was okay and keeps telling various regimes "don't" before they ignore him - went and told the press all about the upcoming Israeli attack so that the whole world knew that Israel was about to catch Iran with its pants down.
From The Jerusalem Post:
Sources explain that the Iranians claim it was an "explosion at a factory" because they wish to avoid escalation. Israeli sources told the Post that it's unclear why the Pentagon disclosed to the American media that Israel was involved; they could have remained silent, they say. They could have preserved Iran's dignity and avoided escalating the situation on their own.
If you know anything about honor/shame cultures, you know that reputation and dignity are everything. Honor must be preserved at all costs. In this case, Iran used the excuse of an Israeli attack on its embassy in Damascus to launch a drone attack on Israel. Even though the drone attack was shot down, it projected strength. Israel, likewise, needed to project strength back.
Even though it's mostly a dog-and-pony show, it plays an important role in how things are done in the Middle East.
But now, everyone knows that Israel, along with U.S., Jordanian, and Saudi allies, just clowned Iran back, doing way more damage than Iran was able to do without even trying.
You've gotta wonder what consequences that will have!
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