[Skybird]

Beside Israel, obviously Iran will also look very closely what the US are doing now.

And China will also look (Taiwan, and the clash with Japan over those islands).

And Saudi Arabia.

Ha, and North Korea.

The possibility to send the wrong sigfnals from Washington into the world, with far-reaching consequences, are "endless".

As Oberon said: sometime you better just keep your mouth shut. What Obama did, in German chess-speak is called "lavieren" (meaning that in a position where you cannot enforce something positive, you wash/you manouver and by that do your mandatory turns, but at least do not compromise your position's strength). Obama "laviert" a lot, and here he has failed in keeping his position closed and strong, but allowed a vulnerability opening up. That is how "lavieren" should not be done. He either will go to war - or he will necessarily allow to see how other opponents are exploiting the gap and widening the breach at probably even higher longterm strategic costs to the US.