Iran and War
Iran has long provided both money and arms to Hamas, without controlling their actions overtly. This allows them to claim, truthfully, that they aren’t responsible. In the same way that the U.S. claims not to be whenever a group we arm does something we don’t like.
While this may sound ridiculous, it provides just enough political cover to make a direct attack on them unacceptable domestically, and unsupported internationally.
But when a response targets some other group, Iran then casts us and our allies as illegitimate aggressors anyway, highlighting the very real carnage and death that’s happening.
And if we do nothing? Or leave, as we did in Afghanistan?