Biden avoids further Mideast spiral as Israel, Iran show restraint. But for how long? [Video]

WASHINGTON — President Biden can breathe a bit easier, at least for the moment, now that Israel and Iran appear to have stepped back from the brink of tipping the Middle East into all-out war.

Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iran and Syria caused limited damage. The restrained action came after Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to temper its response to Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel last week and avoid an escalation of violence in the region. Iran’s barrage of drones and missiles inflicted little damage and followed a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus this month that killed two generals.

Iran’s public response to the Israeli strikes Friday also was muted, raising hopes that Israel-Iran tensions – long carried out in the shadows with cyberattacks, assassinations and sabotage – will stay at a simmer.

The situation remains a delicate one for Biden as he …