ArcaMax

Just because you shoot at someone and miss doesn't mean you're not trying to kill them. Yes, the Iranians were embarrassed. But they almost surely view this as a win. And they also crossed a red line by firing on Israel from their own territory. Yet Israel is apparently the only nation on Earth that is permitted to fully defend itself only if its enemies succeed.

Every conflict against Israel unfurls the same way: Its enemies threaten or attack the country. Israel responds and heads for a victory. Only then does the world demand "restraint." Finally, the antagonists demand Israel rewind history to a more convenient spot. (Modern Democrats demand that Israel show restraint before it even has a chance to respond. That's a new twist.)

Those, for instance, who contend that Israel started the conflict when it hit a "diplomatic mission" in Syria last week are engaged in restarting the historical clock when it suits them. There are no Iranian diplomatic missions in Syria. There are buildings where Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terror leaders coordinate attacks on civilians -- against Arabs as well as Jews. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the "general" Israel killed last week, helped plan the barbarism of Oct 7.

Recall that the United States atomized Qasem Soleimani at a neutral nation's airport. Though, of course, Obamaites protested that killing as well.

Now, it is something of a cliche to contend that Israel must be right 100% of the time while its enemies only need to be right once. It also happens to be true. Israel, a country the size of New Jersey with a dense population area, relies on deterrence and preemption.

Democrats blamed their strawman, Benjamin Netanyahu, not Hamas or Iran, for trying to "drag" the world into war. The New York Times' Tom Friedman, perhaps the wrongest person ever to tread on this planet, theorized that the prime minister wanted "a war to shore up his own crumbling political base."

Axois reports that Netanyahu was reluctant to strike back, while his cabinet wanted to move immediately. The "war hawk" perception of him is a myth, created by the Left because of the prime minister's open opposition to Obama's mullah bootlicking.

We have no idea what Israel will do. Maybe caution is the best policy. The notion that the Jewish state simply lashes out in revenge and doesn't rationally consider all its options is preposterous. Whatever happens, it should be on Israel's terms, not Iran's.

Despite what Obama's retreads demand.

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David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books -- the most recent, "Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent." His work has appeared in National Review, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reason, New York Post and numerous other publications. Follow him on Twitter @davidharsanyi.

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