Iran’s attack ‘utterly unsuccessful’

The Biden administration is again urging Israel to exercise “restraint” in the wake of Iran’s attack over the weekend. Is it any wonder that the mullahs and their terrorist proxies felt comfortable escalating the conflict?

On Saturday night, Iran fired scores of drones and missiles at Israel, supposedly in response to the nation’s attack earlier this month on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria. Israel’s defenses — bolstered by help from the US and other Western allies — successfully repelled the aggression, knocking most missiles and drones from the sky.

John F. Kirby, White House national security spokesperson, said Sunday, “They wanted to cause damage — no question about that. But they were utterly unsuccessful in doing so.”

This, the administration argues, amounts to a victory for Israel and highlights Iran’s limitations. True. But the White House national security team should consider how Iran came to believe it could launch such a brazen attack without repercussion.

Just a week ago, President Joe Biden publicly threatened to rethink this nation’s support for Israel’s military response to the brutal Oct. 7 terror attacks carried out by Hamas. Congressional Democrats were openly discussing whether to withhold arms and financial assistance to Israel.

After the attacks, Biden softened his rhetoric and insisted his administration has an “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security.

In the meantime, Biden should stop sending mixed signals about this country’s obligation to Israel. Instead of hectoring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at every turn to gain political support, the president should focus on pressuring Iran and the terrorists that do its bidding.