Iran has figured out it’s much safer to attack Biden’s America than Israel

Whatever “deal” was brokered between Washington and Tehran to put an end to the 170-plus attacks on U.S. bases and commercial shipping throughout the Middle East since October, it has apparently run its course. 

It did not take long to unravel. Two days after Israel launched its retaliatory April 19 strike on Iran, Iranian-backed proxies fired as many as five rockets from the Iraq town of Zummar toward a U.S. base in Rumalyn, Syria. Aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria reportedly destroyed the launcher.

Was this the “within seconds” response that Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani proclaimed prior to the Israeli strikes on Isfahan? Probably. So far, Tehran’s kinetic response has been largely oriented toward the U.S. and not Israel.

Reuters reported that a social media post by a Telegram group affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah stated, “Armed factions in Iraq had decided to resume attacks after a nearly three-month pause after seeing little progress on talks to end the U.S.-led military coalition in the country.”

No U.S. personnel were injured in the attack.

On April 25, the U.S. funded humanitarian pier currently under construction off the coast of Gaza came under mortar fire. Yes, that pier — the one President Biden told Congress he was “directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish… in the Mediterranean” during the State of the Union address. 

Israeli i24NEWS said, “several pieces of American engineering equipment were damaged in the attack. In addition, one person was slightly injured while running to a protected area.”

We warned in mid-March that Biden’s pier would become a target, and it has. And it will likely come under attack again. Terrorists in the region — Hamas, Palestine Islamic Jihad and other groups — are not interested in the peaceful and orderly distribution of food and water to Palestinian refugees. Their only concern is the destruction of the Israeli state by any means, and that includes the sacrifice of innocent Gazan civilians.

Not to be outdone, on April 24, Houthi rebels in Yemen renewed their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, firing an anti-ship ballistic missile at the Merchant Vessel Yorktown. Then on April 26, three missiles were fired at the Merchant Vessel Maisha; all were successfully engaged and destroyed. The Merchant Ship Andromeda Star was also hit by a missile, but suffered minimal damage and was able to continue its transit.

On April 27, Houthi rebels claimed they had shot down another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen with a surface-to-air missile. A Defense Department spokesperson acknowledged “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen” and said an investigation was underway. 

Iranian-backed proxies, as well as Iran itself, have learned a few lessons since October 7. For example, Israel strikes back, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps learned firsthand when the building where they were meeting in Damascus was struck on April 1, killing seven, including Commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.

Hezbollah is learning that lesson as well. On Wednesday, Israeli artillery and fighter jets struck another 40 targets in southern Lebanon, described as storage facilities and weapon systems “used extensively by Hezbollah forces.” Since Oct. 7, Israeli strikes have killed more than 250 Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, and another 30 in Syria. 

According to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, “Half of the Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated.” 

On Friday, Israel reported that its air force “struck and eliminated Mosab Khalaf in the area of Meidoun in Lebanon,” saying he was a member of the Jama’a Islamiya group and had carried out attacks against Israel. Jama’a Islamiya acknowledged the Israeli attack, describing Khalaf as a field commander.

To make a long story short, Tehran has determined that it is safer to go after U.S. targets than Israeli targets.

The Biden administration will go after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his generals for the manner in which they prosecute their war against Hamas. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and others in the Democratic caucus have already done so.

But for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the cost thus far has been worth the investment. Biden’s impotent “don’t” has not deterred anything. It is only widening and protracting the conflict between Israel and Iran.

Khamenei’s war is not about Palestine. Palestinians are merely a tool to him. Iran and Hamas have proven repeatedly that the Biden administration simply will not accept this fact, no matter how strong the evidence.

As retired U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane has repeatedly and correctly observed on Fox News, “Iran doesn’t want war with the U.S., but Iran’s strategic objectives is what they’re really about here. They want to dominate and control the Middle East, drive the U.S. out of the Middle East to be able to accomplish that, and weaken Israel politically to the point where people don’t want to live there anymore.” 

Iran smells blood in the water. Tehran is doing everything it can to divide the U.S. and Israel, and the American public. Biden has refused to support any offensive actions against Iran, nor has his administration made a stand against the outbreak of pro-Hamas protesters on college campuses throughout the U.S. 

Iran’s front lines have expanded to New York’s Columbia University, and have spread to other campuses, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Emerson College, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley, to name a few. Shouts of “I am Hamas” and “From the river to the sea” have become commonplace. 

Devoid of White House action, members of the U.S. Congress have visited these pro-Palestinian encampments to offer their support. Meanwhile, Jewish students and professors are threatened and shut out from campuses as if they are the problem.

Trying to appease both sides of the conflict only serves to further divide our country. Securing votes in Michigan and Minnesota must not outweigh national security. Yet that is the perception many Americans have today. 

What’s taking place on American college campuses right now is unacceptable. Hamas is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Iran, through the IRGC, directs its activities. It is also outrageous that university students are waving Hezbollah’s flag, given that its affiliate Kata’ib Hezbollah, also an IRGC-backed militia, was responsible for killing three U.S. soldiers at Tower 22 in Jordan.

Iran is pleased. Khamenei tweeted a picture on April 24 showing a Hezbollah flag being waved in New York City. Somewhere, likely in a secure bunker in Tehran, Khamenei is watching the news coming out of the U.S. and thinking to himself, “I did that.” 

Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer. Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy.