On Friday’s broadcast of NBC’s “The Last Word,” NBC News National Security Correspondent Dan De Luce stated that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “had several days” to hide and move resources because the White House telegraphed the strikes it launched on Friday and “Iran will not be shocked at what was hit today and what was struck.”
De Luce began by saying that the strikes aren’t just about how much damage they cause, but the impact they have on Iran’s calculus, and we don’t know the answer to that right now and there will be more strikes.
He added, “I think it’s very much a danger that Iran is not deterred, that Iran feels that its proxy network is doing exactly what it needs to do, pushing the envelope, putting pressure on Israel, putting pressure on the U.S., creating huge problems for the whole international community in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by attacking those commercial ships. So, I think the jury’s still out how this is going to unfold. And even the White House isn’t sure how this will play out.”
De Luce further stated, “Did they inflict serious casualties on those Revolutionary Guard Corps members? They had many days to prepare for these airstrikes. It was no mystery these were coming. The White House had telegraphed that a response was coming. They had several days to go to ground, to move, shift their resources. So, I think Iran will not be shocked at what was hit today and what was struck. Now, as far as the Houthis are concerned, that may come next. I think that’s something to watch, will the next stage of this be strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen that have been firing off drones and missiles at commercial cargo ships now for weeks and causing huge problems that have now had ripples in the global economy?”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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