Charles Lister, the director of the Syria and Countering Terrorism and Extremism programs at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said that the targeted American retaliatory strikes were important but unlikely enough to deter Iran’s behavior or the actions of its proxies.
“Until Iran senses that such attacks reap unsustainable consequences, they will continue,” Mr. Lister said in an email. “That presents President Biden with a political question: Is he willing to push back more determinedly to assert a deterrent effect, or are we willing to allow these repeated attacks on U.S. forces?”