A superpower that doesn’t project force around the globe isn’t a superpower. Love it or hate it, but America is the sole remaining superpower and as such, it can’t afford to stay out of affairs, including in the Middle East - and when it’s forces are attacked, it has no other option but to strike back. That’s the bare minimum. The moment it retreats out of world affairs, power vacuums emerge and the world becomes a much less stable place.