(01-08-2020, 01:16 PM)HandsomeRob86 Wrote:

(01-08-2020, 09:01 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: I don't think they're forcing our hand at all.  I think they "attacked" us so they could tell their people they got revenge.  But if reports are true that they didn't really hit anything or kill anyone, it's a perfect opportunity to de-escalate the situation and avoid a very expensive and pointless war.  I think they might have intentionally avoided hitting anyone or anything important, so as not to force Trump to back up his threats.

This is the best possible scenario, as long as it doesn't embolden the US to further flex its muscles with the idea that nothing can go wrong, and that everyone is going to continue to be intimidated.  It's an opportunity for everyone to get out of this crisis with minimal damage.

Iran has backed down.  As long as Trump understands this, everything will turn out okay.

Now that I see there is no casualties and they tipped us off ahead of time, I think this was a face saving maneuver. They don't want real conflict. It seems like the old adage of speak softly and carry a big stick has changed to speak loudly and throw tiny pebbles.

Regardless of if they tipped anyone off, they launched the missiles from inside Iran and only at military bases. So our satellites picked up the heat signature right away and our highly trained professional military were all hunkered down in about a minute.  They could have aimed at softer targets if they wanted to, and they probably will, unless their whole attitude about international terrorism changes somehow. I wonder if our convoys are vulnerable to this type of rocket. I hope not.

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