Meek warnings to belligerent Tehran haven't protected U.S. bases, allies and commercial ships. Action is the only credible deterrent

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When the United States administration at various levels issued a blunt one-word warning to Iran on April 12 — “don’t” — after two Iranian generals were killed in Syria by a targeted Israeli strike, it failed spectacularly.

The Taliban, Vladimir Putin and Iran earlier demonstrated the failure of “don’t” deterrence. It was no different this time, and on April 13, Iran retaliated by launching more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel. Fortunately, some of these weapons failed to launch, and most that did were shot down by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as well as the U.S., the United Kingdom, Jordan and others. There was minimal damage and no loss of life. But Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel was indiscriminate and not directed at military targets, unlike Israel’s precision strike against Iran’s generals in Syria.

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Predictably, President Joe Biden urged Israel to “take the win” and not retaliate further. But why should they? The Israelis were well within their rights to respond having proven the prowess of their anti-missile phalanx — the Arrow, Iron Dome, David’s Sling, etc. But there is no assurance that it and its allies can repeat the success should Iran, along with its regional proxies, choose to escalate again.

Echoing the sentiment favouring restraint, the Financial Times contended that “the lesson Israel can take is that when it is under threat, its allies........

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