Despite the U.S. campaign, Iran retains enough military capabilities to inflict considerable damage to U.S. service members and America’s allies and assets in the Middle East.

Less than 48 hours after Donald Trump told Americans the U.S. military had “beaten and completely decimated Iran,” Tehran shot down an F-15E fighter jet, setting off a high-risk scramble by U.S. forces to rescue two service members from deep inside Iranian territory. Iran also struck two Blackhawk helicopters and an attack jet that were assisting in the search and rescue effort.

The harrowing incidents have put in stark relief a growing challenge facing the president as the war enters its second month: Despite a daily bombing campaign and his triumphant wartime narrative, Iran retains enough military capabilities to inflict considerable damage to U.S. service members and America’s allies and assets in the Middle East.

  • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
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    8 days ago

    Well, not to be a pedantic dick, but… Actually, it means to reduce by 1/10. So if they had a capability of 1000, now they have the capability of 900.

    That said, it’s been long-used to describe the near-total destruction of a thing; that strict meaning is pretty dated.