Biden thinks that airstrikes will deter broader conflict, what is not clear to him is that, due to the liberal use of airstrikes over the last 20 years, everyone is expecting those responses from the U.S. So I believe Iran militias would have put the airstrike into their cost-benefit analysis before the start of bombing campaign, and looks like they already decide to escalate with that in mind.
"Everything we've done — the additional forces, the messaging — is intended to prevent escalation," one U.S. official said.
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With precision strikes in Syria, Biden tries to avoid lighting a powder keg
“Everything we’ve done — the additional forces, the messaging — is intended to prevent escalation,” one U.S. official said.
President Joe Biden and his team have repeatedly offered a one-word message to regional players who may want to exploit the Israel-Hamas conflict for their own purposes: Don’t. | Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
By
ALEXANDER WARD and
LARA SELIGMAN
10/27/2023 01:26 PM EDT
U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed militant groups in Syria on Thursday night may have felt familiar, but they come amid a far more volatile situation in the Middle East.
Back in March, Iran-backed militant groups used drones and missiles to strike a base housing U.S. troops in the Middle East. A U.S. contractor died and American troops suffered brain injuries. The U.S. responded by bombing warehouses and other logistical hubs.
