(Forbes)
The decision by U.S. President Trump to pull back from a retaliatory strike against Iran for the downing of a surveillance drone because there would be "too many deaths for a proportionate response" has been painted as a backtrack. Instead, "President Trump approved an offensive cyber strike that disabled computer systems used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to control rocket and missile launches."
"Though crippling to Iran’s military command and control systems," reported the Washington Post, "the operation did not involve a loss of life or civilian casualties—a contrast to conventional strikes, which the president said he called back Thursday because they would not be 'proportionate'."
That is not a backtrack, it's a game changer.
A physical missile strike against military targets in Iran would generate headlines and newsworthy images. It would kill scores of people. But in the end, it would make little difference to the standoff between Washington and Teheran. If, however, the reports are true and the U.S. has compromised Iran's networks to the extent that Teheran's core command and control systems are now vulnerable, that changes the dynamics completely. Read more
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