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Biden's Show of Force and Iran
(Wall Street Journal) Editorial - After Iran threatened fire and fury, President Biden sent U.S. military assets into the region and reassembled the missile-defense coalition that stymied Iran in April. He announced new weapons sales to Israel and restored the flow of arms. Israel credits American force with delaying Iran's attack. "The U.S. show of force is what actually makes escalation less likely," an Israeli security official says. This shouldn't be surprising. The deployment of U.S. carrier groups after Oct. 7 is widely credited with deterring Hizbullah from launching an all-out attack on Israel. "The U.S. can tell Iran 'don't' in a way that Israel can't," says a senior Israeli defense official. "It's not the same music, not the same decibel." Stalling weapons sales and transfers to Israel led its enemies to conclude the Jewish state would give up the fight. To their surprise, Israel held firm. When Mr. Biden finally gave the order to release the weapons, bureaucratic delays evaporated and Iran took note. The weapons have begun moving, which is already making a difference in operational planning. "I had generals tell me, 'We can breathe again,'" the Israeli security official says.